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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23051164">Soulbond</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/DhampirsDrinkEspresso/pseuds/DhampirsDrinkEspresso'>DhampirsDrinkEspresso</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars Sequel Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Bedsharing, Bisexual Finn (Star Wars), Bisexual Kylo Ren, Bisexual Poe Dameron, Blood Magic, Burning Villages, Burning people, Co-Sleeping, Copious Flashbacks and Visions, Destiny, Destruction Of Habitat, Destruction of a Nest, Dubious Consent, Egg Smashing, F/M, Family Drama, Finn thinks Kylo smells like Lilacs, Five People One Bed, Flashbacks, Four People One Bed, Foursome - F/M/M/M, Kylo Definitely Smells Like Lilacs, Light Bondage, M/M, Mildly Dubious Consent, Multi, Multiple Partners, Multiple Psychic Bonds, Multiple Relationships, Multiple Soulmates, Okay There are Definitely Dragons, Orphaned Child, Polyamory, Possible Magical Influence, Prophecy, Psychic Bond, RH Elements, References to Dragon Infertility, Reverse Harem, Rey has 4 Consorts, Shapeshifter Finn, Shapeshifter Hux, Shapeshifter Kylo Ren, Soulmates, Vampire Poe Dameron, Vampire Rey (Star Wars), Violence, Werewolf Finn, bloodsharing, dragon violence, fey magic, there might be dragons</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 06:07:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>19,571</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23051164</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/DhampirsDrinkEspresso/pseuds/DhampirsDrinkEspresso</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Vampire Rey has no last name and almost no memory of her life before finding Poe and Finn. She never should have ventured outside their territory but she was hungry, and alone, and the man smelled so delicious. She didn't <em>mean</em> to bond him to her...</p><p>As Supreme Leader of the Alliance of Supernatural Creatures in his city, there is no need for Kylo Ren to personally patrol his territory. His Knights can handle whatever comes up, but he likes to keep an eye on things, wants to know what's happening in his city. He never expected a routine patrol of the warehouses near the docks to result in an accidental mate-bond with a vampire. A pretty, freckled vampire who already has two other mates at home...two other mates Kylo finds himself also drawn to.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Armitage Hux/Rey, Finn/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Finn/Kylo Ren/Rey, Finn/Rey (Star Wars), Kylo Ren/Rey, Poe Dameron/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Poe Dameron/Finn, Poe Dameron/Finn/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren/Rey, Poe Dameron/Finn/Kylo Ren/Rey, Poe Dameron/Finn/Rey, Poe Dameron/Kylo Ren/Rey, Poe Dameron/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>77</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Mated</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This started as a writing exercise in world-building, set in a universe that currently only exists in my head (well, and now in this fic) where once humans began to distrust magic, our world was split with magic and the supernatural on one side and the mundane on the other. They should have been parallel worlds never mean to intersect again, but the dividing veil is falling, and the two worlds have melded back together in the thin places, allowing the supernatural and mundane an uneasy co-existence.</p><p>I warn you now, this definitely has the potential to remain unfinished. Again, writing exercise-I have a few definite points to hit but otherwise I am just going where the characters take me.</p><p>The Soulbond playlist can be found <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/53bKnJWdabBzeAuYHrbeXo?si=MMKstUtyTfK4wxZk7loyzA">here</a>.</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Finn and Poe come home to their mate Rey, and find someone else with her. Someone else with a bond to rival their own...but that shouldn't be possible.</p>
<p>
  <em>She takes a deep breath. “I got hungry. I was hungry and you were out and I needed …” she shakes her head and looks at him, forcing herself to speak more calmly. “I went out hunting and, well…” she trails off and opens her door, gesturing vaguely behind her.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>There’s a man in Rey’s bed. A naked man. And he is MASSIVE. Finn draws in a breath to speak and the scent hits him all at once and NOW he knows why all his survival instincts have been screaming at him to run. “That’s Kylo Ren.”</em>
</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Rey, we’re back!” Finn calls as he opens the door.</p>
<p>Poe shuffles in behind him, juggling two reusable grocery bags and a mini cooler. “Kitten? Sorry we’re late, big crowd today.” He looks at Finn, both a little confused. Why isn’t she waiting at the door for them? She always waits, usually pacing. Rey doesn’t like to be left alone. “Maybe she’s in bed already? It is pretty late.”</p>
<p>Doubtful, but not impossible. “Yeah. Maybe. I’ll go check.” Finn heads down the hallway while Poe breaks off for the kitchen. As he gets closer to her bedroom his unease grows. There’s something <em>off</em>. The house doesn’t <em>smell</em> right and his spine stiffens. A little voice in the back of his head is screaming Danger<em>DangerDANGER</em> and a low growl rumbles from deep in his chest. The sense of <em>WRONG </em>is nearly overpowering as he reaches for the doorknob and he’s suddenly AFRAID.</p>
<p>The door flies open and he gives a totally manly (absolutely, 100%) yelp. “Finn!” Rey is agitated and whisper-screaming, tugging at his hand and glancing down the hall. It takes a minute for the blood roaring in his ears to settle and then he realizes that she is talking, babbling at him really, and she has one hand on his wrist and the other holding the door to her room mostly shut behind her.</p>
<p>“Finn. Finn! FINN!”</p>
<p>“Right here, Princess, no need to shout. Now, what’s going on? Are you okay? You scared me.”</p>
<p>Rey looks contrite…and guilty. “Um…” She bites her lip and looks down, fidgeting nervously. “I…”</p>
<p>“What is it?”</p>
<p>She takes a deep breath. “I got hungry. I was hungry and you were out and I needed …” she shakes her head and looks at him, forcing herself to speak more calmly. “I went out hunting and, well…” she trails off and opens her door, gesturing vaguely behind her.</p>
<p>There’s a man in Rey’s bed. A naked man. And he is MASSIVE. Finn draws in a breath to speak and the scent hits him all at once and NOW he knows why all his survival instincts have been screaming at him to run. “That’s Kylo Ren.”</p>
<p>Rey bites her lip and looks away, unable to meet his eyes. “Kylo fucking Ren is in your bed. Naked.” The mountain of a man moves in his sleep and Finn reacts purely on instinct, closing the door and jerking Rey down the hall because they need to be <em>away</em>. “Kylo Ren, Rey. Kylo fucking Ren is in our house. Our <em>house</em> Rey. In your bed. Naked Kylo Ren.” And he’s pacing now, panicking with the adrenaline rush and the need to flee.</p>
<p>“<em>Finn!” </em>She hisses his name, then in a more normal tone continues. “You’re being shrill.”</p>
<p>“Damn right I’m shrill, Rey! KYLO. FUCKING. REN. IS. IN. YOUR. BED.”</p>
<p>“Who’s in what, now?” Poe shouts, rushing out of the kitchen.</p>
<p>“Kylo Ren. Rey’s bed. Naked Kylo Ren, Poe. KYLO. FUCKING. REN.”</p>
<p>Poe blinks slowly, looking from one to the other of them. “Someone explain. NOW.”</p>
<p>Both men turn to Rey. She’s bitten her lip bloody and her hands are twisting the bottom hem of her t-shirt. Wait. That’s not her shirt.</p>
<p>“Not your shirt!” Finn squeaks. “His?”</p>
<p>She just stares at him, knowing none of them need a verbal answer. Rey runs a frustrated hand through her hair and makes a frustrated sound. “I don’t… it’s just… I don’t know…UGH!” She puts her hands over her face and mumbles into her fingers.</p>
<p>“Can’t hear you, Kitten.”</p>
<p>She squares her shoulders. Licks her lips. Looks at Poe and Finn in near-panic. “You were out and I was hungry. I went out for a walk, and I don’t know, I don’t really remember it all, just pieces, but I think I ended up down by the docks, and he was there. And I don’t know what happened but I know we had sex and I think I bit him and <em>IthinkmaybeIaccidentallybondedhim.</em>” She seems relieved to get the words out and sags against the wall as she bursts into tears.</p>
<p>“Come here, Kitten,” Poe hold his arms out for her and she launches herself across the room. “We’ll figure it out. I’m sorry we weren’t here for you.” She cries harder, gasping against his shoulder and trembling. Finn’s arms come around them both and of course it’s then that her door opens. Rey pulls away with a gasp, turning and already half a step towards the hallway when Finn’s arm locks around her waist and then he’s THERE and everyone is frozen for a moment.</p>
<p>Finn takes in the scene in a series of impressions.</p>
<p>
  <em>Half-naked Kylo Ren. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>No longer completely naked. Just half. That’s good. Right? Yes, yep, definitely good, er, better. Better than naked, uh huh.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Angry, half-naked Kylo Ren. That’s bad.</em>
</p>
<p>“What the FUCK is going on?”</p>
<p>It’s less spoken inquiry and more angry growling roar and Finn feels an answering growl rising in his chest as his arms tighten around Rey. Poe has moved beside him, ready to step in front of Rey (don’t get between them, that’s bad, danger Danger DANGER). Poe’s standing at an angle, so he can see them all, and his eyes have done the thing they do when he’s using his powers and that’s hot (wait, he shouldn’t be noticing that right now, but still, hot, his vampire boyfriend is hot and sexy with the black-but-still-glowy demon eyes).</p>
<p>Ren’s eyes lock on Rey, who makes a whining sound and begins squirming in Finn’s hold and he wonders if <em>she</em> even knows whether it’s to get away or move closer. Ren braces himself against the open doorway from the hall into the living room, chest heaving and eyes wild.</p>
<p>“Everything’s fine here, right? We’re all OK.” Poe’s voice is surprisingly calm as he moves a single step to the side, tilting his head and studying the larger man. It’s almost as if he has to fight himself to look away from Rey, to meet Poe’s eyes with a tight nod before forcing himself under control.</p>
<p>It’s fascinating to watch as dark eyes close and breathing slows, the tension in his limbs not so much draining away as changing, directing itself internally now. The light glints off a medallion hanging low on his chest from a heavy chain. It marks him as Blooded, descended from one of the old families reaching back generations, to before reality shifted and worlds split.</p>
<p>Rey’s making a different whining sound now, and this one Finn recognizes instantly.</p>
<p>Hunger.</p>
<p>Despite the evidence on Ren’s body of multiple feedings—twin puncture marks on both sides of his neck and the bend of his right elbow—she’s <em>starving</em> and she’s projecting her need—a desperate, psychic call—and it’s frightening to see how quickly Ren is reduced right back to that desperate trembling, physically holding himself back from her by gripping at the walls again as he stares at her.</p>
<p>The squirming turns to actual effort at fighting Finn’s arms around her body and she almost breaks free until he shifts, locking both arms. “Poe, knife,” Finn says softly, never taking his eyes off of Ren as Rey freezes, a keening whine low in her throat. There’s a snapping sound as the blade opens and she makes no attempt to move away when Finn loosens his grip enough for Poe to make a shallow cut on his right forearm, the smell of his blood strong in the small room. When Finn holds his bleeding arm up to Rey she grabs him with both hands, mouth locking to the wound with a low moan. Finn settles his chin on her right shoulder, eyes still locked on Ren in a challenging stare. <em>Mine,</em> his glare says. <em>Don’t touch.</em></p>
<p>It’s madness, challenging the Supreme Leader of the Alliance of Supernatural Creatures this way. He could kill them all with little effort.</p>
<p>He hasn’t though, and that means more is going on than Finn really understands, so he allows his instincts to remain in control. This is <em>his</em> territory, after all—his and Poe’s and Rey’s—Finn’s and his mates’ home. Ren is the interloper, the invader, and it <em>Will. Not. Be. Tolerated.</em></p>
<p>Rey’s breathing heavily when she releases her grip on Finn’s arm and relaxes back against him, hunger sated for the moment. She feel’s Poe reach out, grasping her chin and gently turning her head just slightly to the left, towards him, and then his tongue snakes out, catching a stray drip of Finn’s blood trailing from the corner of her mouth before wrapping his arms around Finn and Rey and staring at Ren as well.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They’re staking their claim, marking their territory, and under the influence of whatever the <em>fuck</em> she’s done to him, Kylo can’t help thinking it’s the hottest fucking thing he’s ever seen. He growls low in his throat, eyes on Rey, and somewhere deep inside him his instincts are screaming.</p>
<p>
  <em>Mate.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Mate. Mate. MATE.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>MINE.</em>
</p>
<p>He winces and shakes his head as a buzzing builds in his ears, in his head, and it feels like fighting the pull of a leash, not allowing himself to reach to her. Then she’s <em>there</em> again, practically launching herself into his arms with a wild cry and he can’t <em>think</em> anymore, can only <em>feel </em>as her mouth latches onto his and her legs lock around him. He makes it to just beside her bedroom door, pressing her against the wall as they both tear at his pants, fabric ripping and fluttering to the ground and then he’s inside her and his world is <em>right</em> again.</p>
<p>
  <em>Mate.</em>
</p>
<p>“So, definitely more, not just a thrall bond,” the male vampire—<em>Poe</em>, something whispers in his mind—utters from behind him.</p>
<p>
  <em>Mate.</em>
</p>
<p>“Nope.” And that’s the traitor wolf, the one who abandoned his pack for these two. <em>Finn</em>, the name whispers into the back of his mind.</p>
<p>
  <em>Mate.</em>
</p>
<p>“A mate-bond then.”</p>
<p>
  <em>Mate.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Rey.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Mate.</em>
</p>
<p>“FUCK!”</p>
<p>And he’s not sure which of them yelled that…or if maybe <em>he</em> did.</p>
<p>A mate-bond.</p>
<p>An accidental mate-bond with a fucking vampire.</p>
<p>
  <em>FUCK.</em>
</p>
<p>And then he hears a giggle and a soft <em>we are.</em></p>
<p>No, that’s not right. It’s not hearing if it’s <em>inside </em>his head, is it?</p>
<p>And then, finally, his brain shuts off and his reality narrows to her skin against his, the thrust of his body inside her, the taste of her lips on his.</p>
<p>
  <em>Mate.</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Bonded</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Kylo awakens to a sleeping Rey and her two very-much-awake <em>other</em> mates.</p>
<p>
  <em>Finn just growls—an angry, possessive heat in his eyes as he stares at Rey cuddled against Kylo and he can smell it, finally, now that the pheromone flood of a new mate bond is receding. Kylo closes his eyes. He knew her scent was off somehow last night, but he hadn’t given it much thought. Their behavior last night, the weird elements in her scent—their bond with her was older, but just as strong. “How the hell could you mate her and not seal the bond? It’s no wonder she has no control.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“You don’t know anything about us.”</em>
</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He wakes slowly, awareness fading back in around the edges of perception, aching and disoriented and…why is his arm too heavy to move?</p>
<p> Oh. Right. The girl.</p>
<p>The <em>vampire</em> girl.</p>
<p>Kylo blinks up at the ceiling in the dim room. She’s asleep, head pillowed on his shoulder, breathing softly, almost as if…is she purring?</p>
<p>He realizes he must have said that out loud when a hard voice answers him.</p>
<p>“And that, is why Poe calls her Kitten.” <em>Finn</em>. He can just make out the traitor wolf near the door, sitting in a kitchen chair. He blinks again. Why can’t he <em>see</em> or <em>smell </em>anything the way he should?</p>
<p>“I just thought maybe it was a sex thing.” Finn’s only response is a non-committal shrug as he stares at Kylo.</p>
<p>The fog starts lifting from his brain and it occurs to Kylo to ask, “Why are you in here watching us sleep?”</p>
<p>“Watched you do a lot more than that,” says another voice. <em>Poe.</em> Vampire. Master vampire? Maybe?</p>
<p>“Why?”</p>
<p>Finn just growls—an angry, possessive heat in his eyes as he stares at Rey cuddled against Kylo and he can smell it, finally, now that the pheromone flood of a new mate bond is receding. Kylo closes his eyes. He knew her scent was <em>off</em> somehow last night, but he hadn’t given it much thought. Their behavior last night, the weird elements in her scent—their bond with her was older, but just as strong. “How the hell could you mate her and not seal the bond? It’s no wonder she has no control.”</p>
<p>“You don’t know anything about us.”</p>
<p>“Finn, stop, he’s not wrong.” Poe has a hand on the other man’s shoulder, his touch gentle, soothing, and Finn closes his eyes and leans into the touch. There’s a twinge of…something…inside Kylo, but he can’t focus on that right now. He <em>won’t</em>. “She’ll sleep for hours, yet,” Poe continues. If you want to shower and maybe put on some pants, we’ll be in the kitchen.”</p>
<p>“I don’t think my pants are salvageable.”</p>
<p>Poe makes a sound that might be a weary laugh. “Yeah, no, definitely not.” He tosses a bundle of fabric and Kylo catches it reflexively. “They’ll be too short, but Finn and I have seen more than enough of your ass for a lifetime.”</p>
<p>Well, they didn’t kill him in his sleep or while he was…otherwise distracted. It stands to reason they won’t kill him in the shower. He carefully untangles his limbs and slides out of the small bed, doing his best not to disturb or jostle her too much, and on impulse he brushes his hand over her cheek, something tight inside him loosening a bit when she sighs and nuzzles into the touch. He blames it on the bond, and he doesn’t fight the urge to drop a soft kiss on her forehead.</p>
<p>Like the rest of the house the bathroom is tiny, and he can barely manage to wash without hitting his head. Still, the water is hot, the soap is clean smelling without being overly fragranced, the towels are decent if a little faded from repeated washings. The pants, on the other hand, are <em>definitely</em> too short, but the fabric is soft, and they fit well enough at his waist. He glances up into the small mirror, startled at the expression on his own face. He looks…relaxed. Peaceful, even. And when he thinks about it, really considers it, he realizes that despite everything he is, in fact, calmer than he has been in a very long time. He shakes his head, forcing away the thoughts with another assertion to himself that this bond is keeping him from thinking clearly. He needs to get out of here, away from the girl, where the bond can weaken, and he can go back to normal.</p>
<p>So why does that thought make him feel vaguely sick?</p>
<p>As Poe had said, he finds the vampire and the werewolf in the kitchen, seated at a small breakfast table against the wall. Poe gestures to the empty chair (Rey’s, his brain insists, and some traitorous part of him is pleased to get <em>her</em> chair).</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kylo slouches in the chair, somehow managing to lounge in a manner that might defy the laws of physics.</p>
<p>Finn looks to Poe, not trusting himself to speak to the interloper. The vampire smiles at him before turning to their…<em>guest.</em></p>
<p>“So,” Poe says, “What the hell actually happened last night?”</p>
<p>“I think you know,” the other man says with a smirk.</p>
<p>Finn tenses then takes a shuddering breath when Poe grabs his hand, rubbing a thumb over the inside of his wrist, massaging the pulse point there. Poe hasn’t looked away from Ren. “And I think <em>you</em> know that’s not what I am asking,”</p>
<p>“Your little pet came into <em>my</em> territory, <em>hunting</em>, and the rest was just vampire pheromones” Ren says, and there’s something in his eyes, a look there that seems to be saying far more than his words. Finn can’t help wondering if there is some history between the two men, some prior association Poe’s never told him about, and a stab of jealousy sears through his gut, this time over Poe instead of Rey.</p>
<p>“Don’t call her that!” Finn growls, and Poe grips his wrist tighter, squeezing a warning. Poe just stares at Ren, eyes going dark, black eating away the iris as his pupils dilate. It should be a warning, but Ren doesn’t seem to care, tossing a smirk at the angry werewolf before adjusting his position, crossing massive arms over his wide chest as he returns Poe’s challenging stare.</p>
<p>Surprisingly, it’s Ren who looks away first, eyes flicking down and back up before he takes a breath and licks his lips. “The truth is, I don’t know. I was down by the docks, and I could…sense her, somehow. I was…curious…so I found her. After that, I don’t remember much. Just bits and pieces, mostly things I doubt you need to hear about.” He looks away, and there’s the faintest hint of color on his cheeks. It could be anger. On Kylo Ren it’s usually anger. But Finn suspects it’s not anger.</p>
<p>“And what about now?”</p>
<p>“Now?”</p>
<p>Poe nods. “Yes, now. Can you still sense her? What are you…feeling?”</p>
<p>“I,” Ren blinks, licks his lips again (is that a nervous gesture?), and really seems to think about it before answering. “Yes. It’s faint, like a buzzing in the back of my head, but I can <em>feel</em> her there, and, I think…I can feel her link to you.” Poe shifts, and Finn can feel his surprise.</p>
<p>“You should leave.”</p>
<p>Ren’s head snaps up, staring at Poe in disbelief. “What?”</p>
<p>“I said you should leave. Right now. Before the bond gets any stronger. You <em>know</em> proximity will make it stronger. She’s still asleep. If there’s any chance of breaking it, you need to go now.”</p>
<p>“And what if I don’t want to break the bond?” Ren seems surprised he said it.</p>
<p>Poe stands up, placing a hand on the other man’s shoulder. “Yeah, you definitely need to leave, now, before you do something stupid. Give us some way to contact you and get out of my territory.” Ren gives a slow nod, scribbling something on a scrap of paper Finn finds for him.</p>
<p>The Supreme Leader seems…lost, somehow, as Poe walks him to the door, and Finn has a <em>Very. Bad. Feeling. </em>about all this. It’s like his entire reality has somehow shifted, and some part of him wants to reach out, stop the other man from leaving so he can stop…whatever is happening.</p>
<p>Then there’s a sort of shimmer of magic, and the borrowed sweatpants flutter to the ground as a broad black wolf bounds into the night.</p>
<p>Finn stares, blinking several times. <em>How?</em></p>
<p>“But he’s not…he can’t…that was a wolf. How?” He doesn’t realize he voiced his thoughts until Poe turns to him and shrugs.</p>
<p>“Blooded genetics are weird. Rumor is he has more than one animal form.”</p>
<p>“How do <em>you</em> know so much about him, Poe? Do you know Kylo Ren? Did you…did you know him before me?”</p>
<p>“What? No! I don’t…I never…I know <em>of</em> him, that’s all. I know…<em>other people</em> who used to know him. At my age it would be hard not to.” Poe picks up the abandoned pants and then grasps his hand. “Come on, let’s get some rest before Rey wakes up. I have a feeling this isn’t over.”</p>
<p>Finn nods, following his mate back inside.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>Cold.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Salt.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She can smell them, close now, and her teeth <strong>ache</strong> with need. She turns another corner, nose testing the air again before unerringly following the scent. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Unwashed. Wicked. But they have what she needs, and she can take it. No one will miss them. No one will care.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>There’s a thump behind her, a warmth of presence, of <strong>other</strong>. It’s like her mate…like <strong>Finn</strong>… but different. Hotter, somehow. The wind shifts and her mouth waters. He’s powerful. Strong. She pivots, turning to face him as her stomach cramps again.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>So. Hungry.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“What are you doing here, little one? This is my territory.” He steps out of the shadows. “There is No. Hunting. Here.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>He’s tall, broad. Arrogant. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Delicious.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She breathes in again, tasting him on the air, rolling his scent on her tongue.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>It’s instinctive, when she launches herself at him, arms around his neck and legs locking on his hips. His eyes widen but he catches her, holds her, and there’s…something in his eyes.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Compassion.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Please. Please. It hurts. Please. So hungry.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>He should shove her away, should fight, call for guards, something. Instead he soothes her. “I have you, little one. Who’s done this to you? Who left you like this?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She can’t speak, can only tremble and moan as he steps back into the shadows, tips his head back, baring his neck to her.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She cries as her teeth break his skin, the salt of her tears mixing with the fire of his blood as she drinks.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>With every swallow, she comes back to herself a little more, horror growing at what she’s done, until she shoves him away.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Or tries to.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>He’s too strong, and she has no leverage, wrapped around him as she is, her weight completely supported by him, and when she tries to move away, to push him to a safe distance, he merely tightens his hold.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Better now?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She studies him a moment, lost in the dark heat of his eyes, and then she nods. “I’m sorry.” She’s crying again, and maybe that’s why he does it, or maybe he’s feeling the same overpowering urge, the pounding of their hearts in synchronization, the beginnings of a burgeoning connection between them, a melding until she can’t tell where she ends and he begins.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Or maybe he’s just a man with a willing woman in his arms.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Whatever the reason, when he kisses her, she meets him with equal fervor, whimpering when he turns, pressing her against the brick wall of the alley. They both growl in frustration when he can’t tear her pants away quickly enough, and she thinks it’s a stroke of brilliance when razor sharp claws rip at the seams, baring her to him as she scrambles with his belt and then finally, finally, he thrusts himself inside her and her world rights itself again.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>They don’t break eye contact, this first time, not until her eyes flutter as her body bucks against him in release, and she can <strong>feel</strong> the roar as he fills her, the air around them trembling while she breathes in the scent of smoke on his skin. He presses his forehead to hers, both of them panting. “Who are you?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Rey. Just Rey.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>And he accepts it. For now, it’s enough.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>He apologizes for destroying her clothing, wraps her in his own coat and she’s covered almost to her knees. It’s only when he steps back, when the medallion hanging low on his chest catches the glow of a streetlight, that she realizes who he is. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Realizes <strong>where</strong> she is.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She knows the moment he <strong>feels</strong> her terror.</em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>Rey snaps awake with a scream.</p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Sealed</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Rey's mate bond with Kylo doesn't weaken the way they had all hoped.</p>
<p>
  <em>His hands are tingling. He clenches his fists, rubs his hands against his thighs, the heavy material of his jeans almost unbearably scratchy against his skin.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Something is wrong.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>He knows it, instinctively. Something is wrong with Rey.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>His mate needs him.</em>
</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It takes the better part of an hour for Rey to calm enough she can actually tell her mates what’s wrong, and even then, they seem to be having trouble following.</p>
<p>Finn suggests maybe she should try again after she has fed, and Poe thinks maybe a hot bath with lavender will help calm her, compose her thoughts. She has her doubts about both options, thinking they don’t understand because <em>she </em>doesn’t, but she acquiesces.</p>
<p>She has to admit she <em>does</em> feel better, after, wrapped in a fleece lined robe and cradling a mug of tea. She’s in their bed, Poe and Finn’s, and they curl around her as she tries, again, to tell them what she dreamed, that she knows it’s her memory of the night before. They seem almost <em>relieved</em> that she ran into Kylo Ren, that he stopped her before she could hurt anyone (no matter how much they might have deserved it). Rey has to admit that she is too, even though it brought about a plethora of new problems.</p>
<p>The most prominent, of course, being an unheard of <em>third </em>mate bond with him. Even that fact has brought with it more questions, more problems. It shouldn’t be possible. Her bond with Finn and Poe formed at the same time, and even left unsealed she shouldn’t have been able to form a new bond without them, or at all.</p>
<p>And then there is the fact that the bond is with Kylo Ren. For all intents and purposes, he is their <em>enemy</em>.</p>
<p>Finally, there is the fact that the bond was <em>accidental</em>, which should be completely impossible. For even a thrall bond, there must be <em>intent</em> on the vampire’s side. Mate bonds also require <em>consent </em>on both sides, like soul bonds (if those even really exist).</p>
<p>None of them know what to do.</p>
<p>Finn suggests they run, pack up their essentials and flee. There is a Unified Resistance outpost not far away. They could hide there, while they wait for the bond to weaken, and figure out what to do next.</p>
<p>Poe says maybe, just maybe, if they let the bond fade just a little, they can seal their own bond, just the three of them, to stabilize their connection and make sure nothing like this can happen again.</p>
<p>Rey doesn’t have the energy to point out to him that there are still very valid reasons <em>not</em> to do so.</p>
<p>After all, they don’t even know who Rey <em>is.</em> They found her three years ago, wandering the streets in bare feet, battered, malnourished, and with no memory of who she was or where she came from. All she could tell them was that someone—maybe her mother, though she couldn’t be sure—had called her Rey.</p>
<p>She isn’t even certain that is her true name.</p>
<p>She falls asleep in their bed, warmed by the press of their bodies on either side of her. This time, she doesn’t dream of Kylo Ren.</p>
<p>At least not that she remembers.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>There’s a buzzing between his ears, like an itch he can’t scratch deep in his ears and throat. It’s a low hum of sensation, and though he would like to deny it Kylo knows it is the Bond. It’s Rey, linked into his consciousness by…whatever the hell she did the first time she bit him.</p>
<p>He knows it wasn’t intentional, but the knowledge doesn’t stop this <em>desire</em> he has to blame her. If it’s her fault then he’s the victim, and he doesn’t have to take responsibility for any part in this…<em>situation.</em></p>
<p>He knows all of this.</p>
<p>But he cannot stay angry.</p>
<p>Not even when the pulse of her in the back of his brain throbs<em>, pulling</em> on his consciousness, trying to draw him to her.</p>
<p>His hands are tingling. He clenches his fists, rubs his hands against his thighs, the heavy material of his jeans almost unbearably scratchy against his skin.</p>
<p>Something is <em>wrong.</em></p>
<p>He knows it, instinctively. Something is wrong with <em>Rey.</em></p>
<p>His mate needs him.</p>
<p>He growls at the person in front of him, a messenger from…somewhere. Kylo hasn’t been listening.</p>
<p>“Get out,” he growls.</p>
<p>The messenger…ambassador…envoy…<em>whatever…</em>is still sputtering when the guards lead him from the room, when Kylo rises from his throne (an actual, fucking <em>throne</em>—it’s ridiculous) and stalks from the room, leaving through a side door that leads to the passageway that will take him—eventually—to his quarters.</p>
<p>He strips off his shirt, scratching at his chest. It’s getting harder to breathe against the pressure that has been slowly building there for <em>days.</em></p>
<p>He’s heard the weakening of a mate bond is <em>unpleasant</em> but never that it feels like your very soul is being torn from you, sucked out piece by piece through the very pores in your skin.</p>
<p>He hears it then, her cry.</p>
<p>It’s faint, but there in the back of his mind.</p>
<p>
  <em>Rey.</em>
</p>
<p>The weight in his chest tightens until he falls to his knees, fighting to breathe through the pain and then <em>something</em> snaps, and he can <em>feel</em> the scream, even from across the city.</p>
<p>By the time the guards outside have opened his door, he’s already gone, over the balcony railing and vanished into the twilight.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It’s been nearly three days since Rey last woke up, whimpering and writhing in the bed. She won’t feed, <em>can’t</em>, and her skin has paled a little more each passing day, deep circles forming under her eyes.</p>
<p>The second day she started sweating blood, holding her head and whimpering. Then that night she just…<em>stopped.</em></p>
<p>She’s not squirming, not whimpering, she’s barely even breathing anymore.</p>
<p>Finn watches her and he knows she is dying.</p>
<p>The breaking of a new, unsealed mate bond shouldn’t be like <em>this.</em></p>
<p>Poe has tried contacting Ren but there has been no answer from him, just guards and receptionists claiming he cannot be disturbed. The direct number, the one for an actual landline telephone, just rings.</p>
<p><em>He’s going to let her die, </em>Finn thinks<em>.</em></p>
<p>It shouldn’t be possible, considering how he already feels about the other man, but Finn hates him a little more with each passing second.</p>
<p>Rey cries out, the sound startling after hours of silence. Her limbs are thrashing against the bedding and she’s wheezing, gasping for breath.</p>
<p>He hears Poe in the hallway, sees him in the doorway just as the vampire falls to his knees, blood tears streaming from his eyes as he clutches his chest.</p>
<p>And then Finn feels it too, a wrenching, rending pressure in his chest, like some great hand has closed around his heart and squeezed.</p>
<p>The last thing he hears before he blacks out is Rey’s scream of agony, and he is oddly relieved she was able to pull in enough air for it.</p>
<p>Finn wakes (and that’s good, the waking, because he had been pretty sure he was dying) in Rey’s bed. She’s cuddled beside him, and Poe has a chair pulled up and is holding Finn’s hand, fingers laced together. The bed—the entire <em>room</em> really—seems small, and it eventually dawns on him that he can <em>feel</em> the presence of another person. It takes more effort than it should to turn his head, to open his eyes all the way and see that yes, Kylo Ren is on the other side of the bed, fingers laced with Rey’s in a pose mirroring what Poe is doing. Finn has the impression they have been like this for a while and he shifts in the bed, moving just the slightest bit away from Rey in the process, and feeling stiff and sore and <em>so heavy.</em> Rey whines in her sleep and Finn hisses in a breath at the sharp pain that courses through him. He thinks Poe hisses out a breath, and Ren makes a pained grunt.</p>
<p>“Don’t break contact,” Poe says, pushing until Finn’s other arm is touching Rey again. Finn nods, confused but trusting that there’s a reason. Trusting <em>Poe</em>. He turns his head, glaring over Rey at Ren, remembering he had decided it <em>was </em>possible to hate the man more than he already had.</p>
<p>He falters, blinks, seeing the almost desperate way the other man stares at Rey. Like he <em>needs</em> her, the way he might need air or water or food. He looks exhausted, drained, and there’s a healing cut on his forearm.</p>
<p>It hurts a little less, takes a little less energy to turn his head again, to look back at Poe, but still Finn has to try twice to speak. “H—how long? Out?”</p>
<p>“A few hours,” Poe responds, “at least we think so. It was…” Poe rubs absently at his chest. “It…the pain may have messed with my concept of time,” he says with a rueful grin.</p>
<p>“Your concept of time is shit anyway.” And that comment gets him another grin.</p>
<p>“What…what happened? The pain. What…”</p>
<p>“She nearly died,” Ren says softly, “and whatever was happening, she nearly took us all with her.”</p>
<p>Something flutters in the back of Finn’s mind, some whisper of a memory, but he can’t focus, can’t grasp it. Instead, he turns his head again and it’s almost normal, even if he does get a little dizzy. “You came back.”</p>
<p>He narrows his eyes, studying the other man. Ren makes eye contact, nods once. “I did.”</p>
<p>“What took so long? Rey needed you. Poe was calling and you just…nothing.”</p>
<p>Ren’s eyes closed and he looks pained—again. “I didn’t…I didn’t know, and then when I felt it…”</p>
<p>“He jumped off the balcony and came straight here,” Poe finishes for him.</p>
<p>“Balcony? As in <em>your</em> balcony? The one on the highest floor of Supremacy Heights tower. That balcony?” Finn’s incredulous but Ren just nods.</p>
<p>“So I take it you can fly, too. What’s your winged form? Owl? Falcon? Freakin’ eagle?”</p>
<p>Poe chokes back a laugh, tries to cover with a cough, and Kylo Ren, Supreme Leader, <em>blushes. </em>Poe stops trying to cover his laughter, doesn’t fight it at all. He’s wiping away tears as he catches his breath, and Ren is staring steadfastly at a random point on the ceiling. “Can I tell him? I’m gonna tell him. Oh, this is too good!”</p>
<p>Finn thinks he can feel the rumble of a warning growl and he can see the flush creeping down Ren’s neck and burning at the tip of one ear where it just barely sticks out from where he’d pushed his hair back at some point.</p>
<p>“SPARROW!” Poe says, laughing again. “He can turn into a SPARROW!”</p>
<p>Finn feels his lips twitch but laughing hurts so he refrains from chortling in glee. Then something occurs to him and he asks before he remembers that he hates Kylo Ren with a passion that could burn a thousand worlds. “How do you have clothes?”</p>
<p>“Fey Blooded magic,” Poe says, suddenly serious again as Ren continues to stare at the ceiling and pretend he can’t hear them.</p>
<p>“Huh.” And that’s all Finn has to say at the moment. He picks his own spot to stare at on the ceiling, ears straining for Rey’s breathing, her heartbeat.</p>
<p>It’s a myth, he knows, that vampires don’t breathe or have a heartbeat. They do, it’s just naturally at a much slower pace than mortals or shapeshifters, and some of them can control it, speed up or slow down as they wish.</p>
<p>Rey shifts, makes a little humming noise, and Finn turns in time to see her eyes flutter open. He thinks it’s one of the most beautiful things he has ever seen, just Rey opening her eyes. Poe and Ren seem to think so, too—if the twin gasps and they way they lean forward to stare at her are anything to go by. She blinks in confusion, eyes darting between the three of them. “What happened?”</p>
<p>“We’re uh…we’re not sure,” Poe says. “It was like all your mate bonds sort of…pulled loose at once. You nearly f—died.”</p>
<p>Finn notices Poe almost said something else, and he thinks that’s important. He wants to know what other word Poe almost used.</p>
<p>“It…I remember it hurt. And everyone was screaming,” Rey closes her eyes, the hand closest to Finn coming up to rub at her chest. It’s enough to break the contact between them and Rey moans at the pain. Finn feels it, and he knows the other two men do as well. He scrambles, hand clamping down on her arm, the burning pain easing instantly.</p>
<p>Ren is whispering something in Rey’s ear, stroking her hair back with his free hand, and Finn knows if he focused, if he <em>tried</em>, he could hear the words, but he doesn’t really need to.</p>
<p>“Rey?” She turns just her head, looking at Poe over Finn’s chest. “We uh…well, Kylo and I were talking…while we waited for you and Finn to wake up. Kitten, we think you need to seal the bonds. <em>All</em> of them. They aren’t weakening, and we…”</p>
<p>“We nearly ALL died.” Rey’s voice is soft, mournful. “I’m…I’m sorry. I never meant…not for any…I’m sorry…I’m sorry…”</p>
<p>As her words trail into sobs, somehow all three of them—Poe and Kylo and Finn—somehow they manage to move without breaking contact, so that she is cradled in Kylo’s lap (wait, since when was he Kylo and not just Ren?), with Finn’s arms coming around her from the other side, and Poe’s arms wrapping around from behind Finn, holding both Finn and Rey tightly. They let her cry, and the pain and guilt she feels are nearly tangible.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sealing the bonds should be easy enough. They each have to speak their intent, consent to the bonding, and there’s a symbolic sharing of blood required, each submitting to a shallow cut and allowing a few drops of their blood to mix, and then the blood will be disposed of (easy enough with two vampires).</p>
<p>But that’s where it all goes wrong. There’s something building, Finn can feel it with each drop.</p>
<p>Rey goes first, and he can almost hear it, the tinkling of a bell as each drop falls into the shallow bowl Poe holds out. The air in the bedroom feels heavy, sticky, like a thick fog or going outside after a rainstorm when it’s already unbearably hot and there’s nowhere for the water to go except into the air, suspended around and too thick to breathe.</p>
<p>Kylo’s blood hits with a sizzle, like bacon into a hot pan, and Finn has to try harder to breathe. It might be panic, making him imagine it, but he swears he can see flames flicker in the depths of Kylo’s eyes; thinks, for just a moment, that he smells smoke.</p>
<p>Poe’s is something dark and deep, the echo of raindrops into an open well, and Finn can taste something sweet, heavy on the back of his tongue. <em>Black currant wine.</em> He doesn’t know where the thought comes from. He’s not even sure what a black currant <em>is.</em></p>
<p>It’s Finn’s turn now, and he closes his hand, not letting the blood flow from his palm into the bowl. It pools there, and he <em>knows</em> that everything is about to change. He’s afraid. But he looks at Poe, sees the same love in his eyes that is always there. Finn glances at Rey, and she too is unchanged. He <em>wants </em>this, to be bonded to them. Kylo Ren he could do without, but that’s for Rey to worry about, a separate bond between those two. He holds Poe’s gaze as he turns his hand, blood running down, dripping into the bowl, and he smells fresh cut grass, turned earth, and the sweet fragrance of lilacs.</p>
<p>Then the bond snaps into place around all four of them and suddenly his mind is no longer his own.</p>
<p>He can feel them there, connected to him, their thoughts whispering through his mind.</p>
<p>
  <em>Soulbond.</em>
</p>
<p>He doesn’t know who thinks it, or if maybe they all do, and the thing that’s been building, that wave pulled back from the shore—building, Building, BUILDING—it crashes over them.</p>
<p>There’s a rush of motion, a flurry of limbs, a crash of mouths and bodies and a rending of clothes and there’s no <em>room</em> for thought between them, now.</p>
<p>It seems Soulbonds are real, after all.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Consummated</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Something went awry with the Bonding, and now Rey, Poe, Finn, and Kylo are all linked together in a four way Soulbond. So why aren't they more upset about it?</p>
<p>
  <em>“See, there, you don’t even know me, why do you feel so much?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She gets the answer across the bond before he even says the words.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“We’re soulmates, Rey. The four of us were meant for each other. Why would I be angry about that?"</em>
</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I have realized (along with Rey) that there are questions as to the consent between the four of them, thanks to pheromones and endorphins and overpowering desire from a new soulmate bond, particularly as they didn't realize exactly how the bond would turn out. Tags have been updated.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The night comes back in a series of blurry edged memory flashes.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>The twin drag of fangs down his thighs, Rey and Poe bent low over him, teasing before raring back for a strike, and the sensation of both biting down at once has his back arching.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Finn growling encouragement low in his ear as his own hands explore the curves of Rey’s body.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Hands—he doesn’t know whose—trailing over his spine, tracing his shoulders.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Lying on his back, panting for breath as he stares at Rey, watching as she is pinned between Finn and Poe, the three of them pressed so close together they may as well be one body.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>A confused blur of sensation as HE is the one pinned between two bodies while Rey looks on, a hum of approval and desire rumbling up from her throat.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Rey, collapsing against him in exhaustion, Finn pressed close against her back and kissing his way up her neck, and feeling Poe’s ragged breathing against his own skin.</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He wakes in a jumbled pile of limbs on Poe and Finn’s bed. Kylo has a vague memory of them moving across the hall because Rey’s bed had broken sometime between the first and third times they all fell upon each other like ravenous beasts.</p>
<p>Rey is sprawled across him, his left arm wrapped around her waist and her head pillowed on his chest. Finn has somehow tucked himself under Kylo’s free arm, one arm slung over Rey’s hips and his leg across Kylo’s thigh. Poe is on the other side of Finn, half-hanging from the bed and with his face pressed into Finn’s back, right between his shoulder blades, and Kylo allows his right hand to rest on Poe’s head, fingers carding through surprisingly soft curls.</p>
<p>No one else is awake yet, and Kylo stares at the ceiling, sorting through the images his mind grudgingly holds out to him.</p>
<p>He should leave.</p>
<p>He should <em>want</em> to leave.</p>
<p>But he doesn’t.</p>
<p>This heated tangle of bodies, this calm mass of soft sighs and pleasantly heavy limbs, it’s the only place he has ever felt so at peace.</p>
<p>
  <em>Soulbond.</em>
</p>
<p>They’re supposed to be a myth, a thing of legend, relegated to children’s bedtime stories. But if that’s the case, then what the hell is this thing between them all? He can feel them there, all three of them, woven into his mind, quiet in sleep, and he remembers that first, insane night, when he found Rey at the docks, when he let her feed and took her in a dirty alley. When he followed her home.</p>
<p>When he wanted to stay.</p>
<p>More of the memory of that night has come back over time. Most clearly, he remembers the whisper of his subconscious, of the creature trapped beneath his skin, the one form he has never been able to free. The constant, sibilant hiss of <em>mate, Mate, MATE.</em></p>
<p>Mate, mate, mate.</p>
<p>Always a set of three.</p>
<p>Mate, mate, mate.</p>
<p>Rey, Finn, Poe.</p>
<p>The details of <em>this</em> night are muted, and he hopes he remembers it all in time, because the one clear memory he has convinces him he wants to.</p>
<p>
  <em>Rey holds the headboard, eyes closed and back arched as she cries out. He is on his knees on the bed, her hips in his hands, lifted so only her shoulders and head touch the bed as he thrusts into her body. There are hands on his body, one on his hip and another in the middle of his back and he thinks both belong to Poe, thinks Finn is too far to reach him. Then he feels Poe’s fangs break his skin, biting down on his shoulder blade and he can’t hold back the rumbling growl, the roar of completion as he finishes inside Rey’s body. His eyes blur for a moment, and when he comes back to himself he can hear Finn and Poe, feels the splash of hot fluid across his hip as Poe cries out, his head falling to rest on Kylo’s shoulder. Then Finn slumps against Poe, and Kylo falls forward, arms braced on either side of Rey to keep from crushing her under the combined weight of all three of them. He feels the warmth of a mouth, Poe dropping a kiss on the back of his neck, and a hand—it’s Finn’s, he’s sure it’s Finn’s—strokes down his side, traces over his hip, and Rey looks up at him and smiles.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The bond resonates with pleasure, warmth, joy, and something he thinks might be love. He’s not familiar enough with the feeling to know.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>They fall into a lazy heap, barely managing to arrange themselves into the tangle of limbs and bodies that will allow them to all stay on the bed—barely. Poe is unconscious almost before his body comes to rest on the mattress. Rey is not far behind, a contented purr leaving her as she presses her ear against Kylo’s heart, its steady thump-thump a lullaby. Finn presses his face against Kylo’s side, inhaling over his ribs and muttering a sleepy ‘lilacs’ before he too is asleep.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>For only the second time in years, Kylo Ren sleeps, and he does not dream.</em>
</p>
<p>He is content to wait for the others to wake, shuffling through his own thoughts, memories, half-forgotten dreams to pass the time. There is no use protesting the truth of it any longer, the fact that he had felt a sense of belonging from the moment he set foot in this tiny house.</p>
<p>Poe wakes first, his presence blazing to awareness across the bond. Kylo manages to grab him before he falls from the bed and Poe’s shell-shocked gaze is humorous. “You…”</p>
<p>“Yep,” Kylo says, popping the ‘p’ before his tongue swipes across his bottom lip.</p>
<p>“We…”</p>
<p>“Uh huh.”</p>
<p>Poe shifts, somehow able to sit up and lean back against the headboard without falling to the floor. His head hits the wood with a hollow thunk. “Fuck.”</p>
<p>
  <em>Pretty sure we covered that, too.</em>
</p>
<p>It’s the first time Kylo has done it, spoken across the bond, and it’s surprisingly natural, although Poe’s wince suggests it’s a little ‘loud.’ Rey shifts against him, mumbling nonsense before settling back down on his chest. Her presence in the bond is still a hazy fog of dreamless sleep, and he knows it will be a while before she wakes.</p>
<p>Finn’s eyes flutter open slowly, and then he’s just…awake, fully and completely, and Kylo braces himself for the inevitable “morning person” energy that usually comes with being able to just…wake up like that. He’s pleasantly surprised when Finn just stares up at him for a moment before the wolf leans up, bracing himself on one arm and studying Rey’s sleeping form. The hand that isn’t currently occupied with his body weight reaches out, brushing her hair back before one finger traces the curve of her jaw. His eyes flick back up to Kylo’s, gaze unflinching and surprisingly hard to decipher. Kylo realizes in that moment that he has grossly underestimated the werewolf. There is a keen intelligence in those eyes, a wisdom that belies his age.</p>
<p>“Hi.”</p>
<p>Kylo blinks, Finn’s greeting pulling him out of his thoughts. “Uh, hi,” he answers, hesitant and wary. They’re just staring, frozen in place, and it’s hard to say how long they might have continued to do so but Poe moves again, leaning over to kiss Finn’s cheek and it breaks the spell. Finn leans into Poe’s kiss, leans over to drop a kiss on Rey’s forehead, and then suddenly surges forward, smacking his lips against Kylo’s before practically launching himself from the bed and casually strolling out of the room and down the hall. Kylo is still staring at the doorway, eyes trained on the spot where Finn’s ass disappeared around the corner when the shower comes on. He can <em>feel</em> the smug grin on the wolf’s lips radiating through the bond.</p>
<p>“Morning people,” Poe grumbles, then turns and takes in Kylo’s stunned expression. Poe laughs and settles further down in the bed, pressing against Kylo’s side. “Oh, this is going to be more fun than I thought.”</p>
<p>Kylo isn’t exactly sure what that means, and he isn’t ready to find out.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>For the first time she can remember, there is no moment of panic when Rey wakes. She can feel them, her mates, the bond like a warmth in her chest, a gentle, pleasant hum in the back of her mind. She’s not <em>alone</em> anymore.</p>
<p>
  <em>Soulbond.</em>
</p>
<p>She won’t ever be alone again.</p>
<p>Rey stretches, wincing when her muscles protest the movement, but that doesn’t stop the smile or the happy little humming sound she makes. She feels…more complete, somehow. She still doesn’t remember her life <em>before,</em> but she’s not so upset by that anymore. She can feel them in the kitchen, hear the rumble of their voices, pitched low so as not to disturb her. If she concentrates, she can <em>see</em> them or…no…that’s not right. She can see <em>through</em> them, like stepping inside, borrowing their eyes for a moment. The sensation makes her dizzy, and she feels a flash of irritation through the bond.</p>
<p>Kylo.</p>
<p>Of course, it’s Kylo.</p>
<p>
  <em>Annoyed might be his middle name.</em>
</p>
<p>And that’s Finn, projecting the comment across the bond. She can hear Poe laughing and Kylo grumbles his irritation but there’s no heat behind it, just warmth and…affection.</p>
<p>For Finn.</p>
<p>And Poe.</p>
<p>And for her.</p>
<p>She bites at her lip, worrying at it as she wonders if she’s caused this, somehow, if she managed to bind them all into this strange four-way mate bond against their will.</p>
<p>They had consented to sealing their individual bonds, because they couldn’t survive the physical pain of not touching anymore and it wasn’t practical to keep touching all the time. But this…this was NOT individual bonds.</p>
<p>“Stop.”</p>
<p>She looks up, so lost in her thoughts that Kylo’s presence in the doorway had slipped her notice until he spoke. She watches him cross the room, take a seat on the bed. She notices, idly, that his pants seem to have survived this time, and she tries not to pout about that. He hasn’t bothered with a shirt, or shoes, and the medallion he usually wears is missing.</p>
<p>“Rey, you didn’t force anyone into this. That’s not how Soulbonds work. If it’s anyone’s fault it’s mine. I’m the one who’s from a Blooded family. It’s old magic, fey magic. My blood may have fucked it all up, but I can’t say I regret it.”</p>
<p>“Don’t you see, that’s the point? You of all people <em>should</em> be upset about this. Why aren’t you angry?”</p>
<p>He can’t answer her, and that’s answer enough. Rey climbs gingerly out of the bed, gasping again at the twinge between her legs, the knotting of muscles in her thighs and lower back, and then Kylo is just <em>there</em>, arms steadying her. She can feel the crawling sensation of his guilt along the bond.</p>
<p>“See, there, you don’t even <em>know </em>me, why do you <em>feel</em> so much?”</p>
<p>She gets the answer across the bond before he even says the words.</p>
<p>“We’re soulmates, Rey. The four of us were <em>meant</em> for each other. Why would I be angry about that?”</p>
<p>“Because…you’re…you’re you. Kylo Ren. Being angry is what you do.” He winces, jerking back as if from a physical blow and she can <em>feel</em> the depth of hurt from her words, reaches towards him as if she could snatch them back with her hand.</p>
<p>His jaw works, and somehow his part of the bond…dims. He’s blocking them, blocking <em>her</em>. “Maybe you’re right, Rey. We don’t even know each other, how could anything we feel be real?”</p>
<p>And then he’s just…gone. She hears the door slam and Finn finds her, moments later, tears rolling down her face.</p>
<p>She knows he heard the words, felt the echo of emotions, but he doesn’t say anything, just holds her until the tears subside and then asks if she needs help to the shower. When she says no he just nods, stiffly, and leaves the room, hands clenched into fists.</p>
<p>She stretches out her senses, reaching for Finn across the bond, and she hits a wall, bounces off. Whatever he’s done, he’s blocked himself off more completely than Kylo was able to. Kylo’s presence is weaker. Finn’s is just…blank.</p>
<p>Finn’s already figured how to shield himself from the bond. He doesn’t want her to know what he’s thinking, what he’s feeling.</p>
<p>She thinks it’s at least partly anger.</p>
<p>That he’s angry with <em>her</em>.</p>
<p>Angry because she’s ruined things already.</p>
<p>The tears start to fall again, and she makes one last, desperate attempt at connection, seeking out Poe’s presence, and she gasps as she finds him, wide open to her. He’s just watching as Kylo drives his fist into the ancient oak tree out back. Poe doesn’t try to keep her out, instead beckoning her in deeper, until it’s as if she has slipped her skin, stepped into his, and somehow, they both inhabit one body. She can feel it as they—as <em>Poe</em>—reaches out, catching the other man’s bloody fist before he can do any further damage to himself. They don’t move, just stare at one another, and then slowly—ever so slowly—Kylo lifts his hand, bloody knuckles presented in offering, and Rey pulls back from the connection with a gasp as Poe’s tongue flicks out.</p>
<p>She tries to ignore the echo of them across the bond, the way Kylo sighs and lets Poe wrap him up in his arms, as she gathers some clothes and carries them down the hall, only stumbling once, intent on her much needed shower.</p>
<p>When Rey comes out of the bathroom, freshly showered and dressed in the T-shirt she stole from Finn’s drawer and a pair of soft leggings, they are waiting for her, sitting in the living room on the mismatched, second hand furniture, and even the bond is silent.</p>
<p>She can feel them there, but all three men are keeping their thoughts and feelings very carefully shielded, and she can’t help but feel a little hurt that Finn, sweet Finn, has taught them how to block her out. “It’s simple enough, Princess, I can show you too. But first…well, right now, we all need to talk, and we need to do it calmly.” And that’s Finn too, logical and honest and not afraid of telling her the hard truths, the ones she doesn’t want to face yet.</p>
<p>She’s surprised when Kylo is the first to speak, and she sees the way his jaw clenches for just a moment when he feels it, too. “I’m sorry, Rey. You’re right, I do get angry. A lot. It’s well known,” he pauses, eyes flicking to Finn as the other man huffs, holding back a laugh. “None of us expected this, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing.” He leans forward, eyes intent and burning. “I don’t know what will happen, but we are in this together now. ALL of us.” He holds out a hand, and she hesitates, trembling, before taking one shaky step forward, reaching out.</p>
<p>There’s a sigh of relief when their hands touch, and something tight and painful relaxes, uncurling across the bond on all sides.</p>
<p>“I don’t know how to do this, Rey. This whole…thing.” Kylo’s hand waves in a gesture that seems to encompass them all, indicate that <em>this thing</em> is the bond.</p>
<p>“No one knows how to do this,” Poe mutters. “Soulbonds are supposed to be a myth, and yet here we are.” His hands spread wide in front of him and he shrugs. “No one’s been soulbound in generations.”</p>
<p>“That’s not true, though,” Finn says, eyes trained on Kylo.</p>
<p>The Supreme Leader winces, leaning his head back against the sofa and staring at the ceiling as he sighs. “No, it’s not.”</p>
<p>He’s always believed it was an exaggeration, a fanciful tale just like so many of his father’s stories. Given his current situation, Kylo has to accept that it was true.</p>
<p>His parents had a Soulbond.</p>
<p>It certainly explained why, no matter how bad things got, how viciously they fought, they always found their way back to one another.</p>
<p>Why, after his father died, his mother seemed so…diminished.</p>
<p>He’s not certain how Finn knew, but he did, and now Kylo Ren is going to have to do something he’d hoped to avoid for the rest of eternity.</p>
<p>“We need to talk to my mother,” he mutters, still staring at the cracked ceiling, pretending he doesn’t notice the gasp from Rey as his mother’s face pops into his mind, her image drifting across the bond before he can block it in behind his shields.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Betrothed</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Rey still can't help questioning the bond, and then comes the arrival of someone who will change everything...AGAIN.</p>
<p>
  <em>Rey yelps when a board creaks, bites back a scream at the heavy knock on the door. She hears footsteps from deeper in the house, knows Poe is going to open it.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“NO!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Three voices ring out, Rey, Finn and Kylo. But they are all just that split second too late to stop him.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Poe’s hand twists the knob, jerks the door open as Kylo appears from the kitchen. Finn steps in front of Rey, and Kylo in turn steps forward, blocking both of them.</em>
</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hold on to your britches, the plot's about to arrive...</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Your. <em>Mother</em>. Is. Leia. Organa?”</p>
<p>Kylo sighs wearily. It’s the third time Rey has spoken the question (accusation really). “Yes.”</p>
<p>“The leader of the UNIFIED RESISTANCE is YOUR MOTHER?” He winces as it echoes across the bond as well as in his ears.</p>
<p>“Yes.”</p>
<p>“How, exactly, did you and your mother end up on opposite sides of a multi-generational, inter-dimensional, magical war?” He doesn’t answer this time, but he does look at her. Finally. Rey stares back before walking away, huffing in frustration.</p>
<p>It’s Finn who follows her, cornering her in the bedroom he shares with Poe. “Princess, you could go a little easier on him. Whatever happened with Kylo and Leia, it’s hurting him. We can all feel it.”</p>
<p>Rey flops down onto the bed with a frustrated sigh. “I know, Finn, I do. I just…I can’t…” she trails off with a shake of her head, falling silent for a moment before looking at him. “Finn, can I ask you something without starting another fight?”</p>
<p>“Maybe.”</p>
<p>Rey huffs and rolls her eyes at him. “It’s just, the bond—a soulbond. That’s not even supposed to be real, but suddenly it is and we’re all linked together and…you all seem fine with it, but up until the moment it snapped into place, you and Poe didn’t even <em>like</em> Kylo.”</p>
<p>Finn just stares at her, waiting.</p>
<p>“It’s just…what if it isn’t even real? What if it’s some kind of, I don’t know, curse or something, and we’re all stuck together forever against our will and we don’t even know it?”</p>
<p>Finn rubs his face with a sigh. “That’s not how this works. We’re all <em>linked</em> Rey. It’s a little confusing, trying to figure out whose thoughts and feelings are whose, but Princess, this thing between us, it’s <em>real</em>. Soulbonds can’t be faked, they can’t be forced. They’re rare <em>because</em> of that. And it’s not…” he trails off, staring blankly at the wall before continuing softly: “I wouldn’t say…I mean…I was in denial, okay? Kylo Ren is…well, he’s Kylo Ren. I was a guard at Supremacy tower, on his floor, and…I may have liked him then, a <em>lot</em>, but he never seemed to notice I even existed. And why should he? I was just a door guard. He was…<em>him.</em> And then I met you and Poe and I left the Alliance and I never looked back. I couldn’t <em>let</em> myself. But then the bond…I could feel what he felt, and I saw…it was his memories, Rey. He was SO angry when I left, and I thought he might kill me, but it was…he was <em>hurt</em> that I left. He felt it too. So, he got angry. Because that was safer.”</p>
<p>Rey feels Finn’s eyes on her. “Rey, Princess, when you meet your soulmate—or, well, soulmates, I guess—some part of you just knows. It’s why you were drawn to him that night, why he let you feed and then followed you home like some stray dog begging for scraps. It’s why I gave everything up to be with you and Poe, and why Poe brought you here, took care of you and kept you safe. The four of us were meant to be. We belong together.” Rey doesn’t resist when he takes her hand, laces their fingers together and raises their joined hands to his mouth, dropping a kiss on her fingers. She lets him pull her into his arms, lets him hold her. Finn—all her mates, really—they’re so <em>sure</em> this is all right, that there’s nothing strange about it, but she can’t help the flutter of fear deep in her chest, can’t stop the feeling that something <em>isn’t</em> quite right.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She waits, before seeking Kylo out. By the time she approaches him, hours have passed. He’s contacted his mother—well, Poe contacted her, and Kylo grudgingly agreed to speak to her. Rey had felt the jumble of emotions roiling within him: fear and joy and longing and love but there was so much <em>pain</em> wrapped around it all that she doesn’t want to know anymore, no longer has any desire to demand he tell her why or how or even what happened. She just wants to soothe him, take the pain away.</p>
<p>He doesn’t let her apologize, instead pulling her into his arms, kissing the top of her head with a whispered “Thank you,” and somehow it’s enough.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Despite the assurances of her mates, the feeling of <em>wrongness</em>, that chest-tightening, skin-crawling, overwhelming sense of dread, just keeps growing. She’s jumping at every sound, gasping when the wind in the trees sends shadows chasing over the walls. It’s been like this for two days, steadily increasing.</p>
<p>Finn is the first to stop insisting she is overreacting, that everything is fine. He’s taken to following her from room to room, always on guard against…<em>something</em>. The ring of the telephone when Leia Organa’s lieutenant calls to confirm details for tomorrow’s meeting makes both of them jump, and a low whine of distress escapes Finn before he can stop the sound.</p>
<p>He shivers when dried leaves skitter across the sagging porch, the low scraping sound unsettling.</p>
<p>Rey yelps when a board creaks, bites back a scream at the heavy knock on the door. She hears footsteps from deeper in the house, knows Poe is going to open it.</p>
<p>“NO!”</p>
<p>Three voices ring out, Rey, Finn and Kylo. But they are all just that split second too late to stop him.</p>
<p>Poe’s hand twists the knob, jerks the door open as Kylo appears from the kitchen. Finn steps in front of Rey, and Kylo in turn steps forward, blocking both of them.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The man on the porch is tall and slim, with pale skin and slicked back ginger hair. Somehow Rey just <em>knows</em> the color is actually lighter than it appears, that whatever he has used to keep it in place makes it look a deeper red.</p>
<p> Light eyes narrow on Kylo, and the porch light gleams off the golden medallion hanging low on the man’s chest. Another of the Blooded.</p>
<p>“Hux.” Kylo bites off the name like a curse.</p>
<p>“Ren.” In return, the man manages to make just the name sound like an insult.</p>
<p>Rey can hear the rumble of a warning growl, and she is unsure at first which of her mates is the source.</p>
<p>It’s a shock to realize the sound has come from <em>Poe.</em> The vampire suddenly seems to fill the room, and Rey realizes it’s the aura of his power, seeping around them, filling the room with choking, swirling <em>darkness</em>, even though the room’s brightness stays the same, as he methodically strips away his own shields, lets his own power shine through.</p>
<p>It’s this that frightens her more than anything.</p>
<p>Poe <em>never</em> drops his shields. He’s powerful enough to be considered a threat, but he hides it well enough he is largely left unmolested. It’s how he’s carved out their small territory, in the no man’s land between the Unified Resistance and the Alliance of Supernatural Creatures. It’s why he’s been allowed to maintain neutrality in so many conflicts.</p>
<p>It’s how he has <em>survived.</em></p>
<p>He didn’t do this when faced with an angry Kylo Ren in his living room, and yet the very presence of this unknown man is enough of a threat that any pretense of harmlessness is dropping.</p>
<p>And the man isn’t even concerned. He just seems annoyed, and maybe a little bored with the whole situation.</p>
<p>“What business do you have here, Prince of Cats?” Poe’s voice almost has an echo to it, a ring of authority, of <em>Power</em>. Rey gasps. She knows that title.</p>
<p>But how?</p>
<p>For his part, the man, Hux, this Prince of Cats, sniffs, and says in a cultured voice, “I have personal business, Dameron, which is better handled privately. May I come in?”</p>
<p>“No.” Again, it’s hard to tell who said it, but Rey believes the resounding refusal came from all three of her mates in tandem.</p>
<p>“Very well, then,” Hux says, maintaining the pose of a soldier at ease. It isn’t non-threatening, exactly, but Rey wonders if it’s the closest he can get to harmless.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>A ginger tabby meows pitifully from the apple tree. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Rey can just see him, if she stretches onto her toes and looks over Finn’s shoulder, cranes her neck to see around Kylo’s side. “I have come for my betrothed, the Princess Aurelia Palpatine.”</p>
<p>The name echoes, somehow, rattling through the air, burrowing into her mind, and Rey can’t hold back her gasp. <em>Yes. Aurelia. Aurelia Charlotte, called Rey, daughter of…</em></p>
<p>She can’t remember any more, not yet, but it’s enough, like a key turning in a lock, and when the motion finishes the gates will open, letting all they hold pour out.She steps out past Finn, around Kylo.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>“You’re safe now, I promise,” she says with a sweet smile, reaching up into the branches.</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Armie?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>The cat’s eyes are expressive, almost more like a person’s than an animal’s. It studies her and she thinks it’s surprised.</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“<em>Rey</em>.” Something in the man’s face softens, and he takes a half-step forward, eyes all for her, only to be stopped in the doorway by Poe’s forearm across his chest. Hux falls to his knees, something suspiciously like tears glistening in his eyes. “<em>Seventeen years. </em>You’ve been missing for <em>seventeen</em> years. Until a few days ago, I thought you were <em>dead</em>.” His voice breaks on the last word.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>The cat—kitten, really—scrambles back, just out of reach.</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Let him in,” Rey says, and something in the room changes, some pressure in the very air reaches its full and chaos erupts along the bond. Suddenly, all she knows is burning and screaming and pain.</p>
<p>Dimly, some part of Rey observes that she is <em>really</em> fucking tired of this, and then her world goes black.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>“Here, kitty! It’s okay! I’ll help you!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The tiny ball of orange and white fluff meows pitifully again and huddles closer to the tree trunk. Rey looks around, making sure she is still alone. Nurse is with the gardener again, reviewing his plan for the beds, and she doesn’t see anyone else, so she kicks off her slippers and peels off the white woolen knee high stockings. Then she tugs at the crinoline under her skirts until that, too, is gone. She tosses the scratchy garments on the ground, gratified to see them catch on the thorns of the rose bushes. She rolls up her sleeves and lifts her skirt, pulling the excess fabric of the train through her legs and tucking it into the green satin sash. It’s not as neatly done as her mother can make it, but it will stay in place long enough for her to climb.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>With one more glance around her walled off section of the royal family’s private garden, she jumps, grasping the lowest branch and scrambling up into the highest reaches of the apple tree. The kitten stares at her curiously as she sits calmly on the next branch down, hands upraised. Eventually the animal stretches out, nuzzling her palm while never breaking eye contact with her, slowly moving forward to where she can grasp the tiny body. She cuddles the creature close to her chest, its rumbling purr soothing her as she scratches lightly along its back.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“What shall I call you, hm? Millicent is a nice name. What do you think of that?” The kitten blinks at her and yawns, needle sharp teeth glistening.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She stays in the tree until Nurse comes back.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She’ll be punished for ruining her dress, and for ‘behavior unbefitting a princess’ but she doesn’t much care. All they can do is confine her to her rooms, and now she has Millicent for company.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Mother laughs and kisses her on the cheek after hearing the tale of her adventure, and Father gives her a tight smile and calls her his little Rey of Sunshine.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>It’s three days before she wakes and finds that the kitten is really a boy (mortally offended that she dared call him Millicent). </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She is only nine when she finds out, but she never tells anyone that the second animal form of Armitage Hux, Prince of Cats, is that of a fluffy ginger kitten. She also never tells anyone that, in a fit of pique after learning his father had negotiated a betrothal without even consulting him, he used that form to spy on her…and got stuck, not only in a tree but in that form, unable to shift back for days.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>He decides it’s not so bad having her around. He still doesn’t want to marry her, but then at fourteen he has little interest in MARRYING anyone, and Princess Aurelia—Rey—knows where to find the best snacks, the best fishing spots, and the best mischief.</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>This time, Rey is the first to wake, and she blinks back to awareness to find Armitage Hux, Prince of Cats, and Commander General of her grandfather’s army, gazing down at her.</p>
<p><em>“I remember,”</em> she says, joy and wonderment leaving no room for anything else at the moment. The feeling of something off is gone, replaced by the warm internal glow of a sealed mate bond that was somehow suppressed but is no longer.</p>
<p>It’s different than the soulbond. They aren’t psychically linked to the extent she is with Kylo, Poe, and Finn, but she can…sense him, feel his presence nearby, and if she concentrates she gets faint, fuzzy impressions of what he is feeling. Primarily relief, and affection, but there’s also a simmering anger growing hotter by the moment, and under all the rest, worry and, buried deepest of all, an all-consuming, choking <em>fear</em>.</p>
<p>Fear <em>for </em>her.</p>
<p>And fear <em>of</em> her<em>.</em></p>
<p>Rey sits up from her place on the floor, wanting to reach out and comfort him, assure him there is nothing to fear. A strange weight settles on her chest and she freezes, staring down.</p>
<p>At a golden medallion.</p>
<p><em>Her</em> golden medallion.</p>
<p>Rey’s not a vampire.</p>
<p>She’s Blooded.</p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Well, this further complicates things...</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Blooded</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Rey’s soulmates wake and learn she is Blooded.</p>
<p>
  <em>“He’s prescient?” Hux asks, studying Finn with new interest.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Kylo sighs, rubs at his brow. “Yeah.” Poe and Rey stare at him, a mix of emotions pulsing along the bond. “I wasn’t sure until the last few days. It was in his assessment as potential. It’s why they assigned him as a door guard on my suite.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Well, this certainly changes things.”</em>
</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Possible TW/CW for the flashbacks in this chapter. Implied threat of non-con/rape/assault (that’s not what happened but I understand it may read that way—the hunger mentioned is for actual food and power). Please skip the flashbacks in <em>Italics</em> If you need to.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The medallion hangs heavy over her heart, gold surface glinting dully in the light of the small lamp on the end table.</p>
<p>Rey’s medallion.</p>
<p>Because she’s Blooded.</p>
<p>And not just Blooded, no, she’s the only remaining heir to the Palpatine dynasty.</p>
<p>Blooded Heir of the Dragon Emperor.</p>
<p>She’s always hated that title.</p>
<p>The weight of the gold disc tugs at the chain, making it rub against her neck uncomfortably every time she turns her head. She remembers the weight of it now, the bruising physical push of ancient metal imbued with blood magic, and the crushing devastation of generations of Wyrm and Drake.</p>
<p>Wyrm Princess.</p>
<p>She snorts at the thought.</p>
<p>It’s a child’s tale, and Rey is <em>not</em> a child.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>“Come, my sweet,” Grandfather says. He’s good at this, at seeming the doting, doddering old man who only wants to spend time with his family.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Rey knows better.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The calculating gleam is back in his eye. He’s up to something again. Something evil. Cold.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She doesn’t want to move closer as he beckons, but she knows it will be far worse if she fights him.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Grandfather must always be in control. He shattered the peace, the delicate balance between fey and mortal, to wrest control and power for himself.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She isn’t supposed to know that. It happened centuries before she was born, and he has gone to great lengths to hide it.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> She steps closer and the very stones seem to cry out beneath her feet, entreating her not to go to him.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Another step.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She wishes Mother and Father were here. They couldn’t protect her, but she’d find some comfort in their presence.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She is glad Armitage is away. He would try to protect her. That would end badly for him.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She pauses, freezing on the large black stone in the center of the room. She hadn’t meant to step on that one. It always sends a chill up her spine, a near painful shock of Cold.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Grandfather smiles and there is movement to his right. It is only then that she realizes that he isn’t alone. Snoke, the self-styled Supreme Vampire stands to his left and Pryde, the man who declared himself Alpha Werewolf on his right.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>All three of them look HUNGRY. Something cold clamps around her ankles and she can’t contain the startled yelp (weakness, Grandfather will tell her later, to show any reaction). </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The black stone is…moving, reforming itself and she finds herself held immobile as bands of rock wrap around her ankles. She can feel cold stone at her back now, too, and she is resigned when more bands loop around her waist and chest, locking her arms down at her sides as all three men look on with fiendish glee.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She hopes they’ll kill her. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>But she knows they won’t, not yet.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Not until they’ve stolen her power. Assuming she has any.</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Rey shakes her head, pushing away the memory. It’s the last moment she can recall before Poe and Finn found her wandering the streets with <em>no</em> memory whatsoever other than a vague notion that her name might be Rey.</p>
<p>Whatever they did, whatever foul conjuring her grandfather and his cohorts had cooked up, it had been seventeen years ago. There’s still a gap in her memory, fourteen years missing.</p>
<p>She looks up at a sound, finding Armitage standing a few feet away. He’s fidgeting, and she knows that’s unlike him. He’s done an admirable job of maintaining distance between them since she woke and he established she was physically unharmed. She thinks he wants to reach out, wants to hold her, but his pride and rigid self-control won’t allow it. He won’t initiate the touch, and he won’t ask.</p>
<p>She knows this, just like she knows he’s telling the truth. About everything. Part of her wants to go to him, to throw herself into his arms and let him hold her, the way he was when she woke from…whatever happened. The way he used to, until 17 years ago.</p>
<p>“It was a spell. Well, more accurately, it was the breaking of a spell—of a binding.”</p>
<p>Hux is interrupted by a groan from nearby. Kylo is waking. Rey drops to her soulmate’s side with a cry of relief, running her hands over him from the top of his head to his waist, needing to reassure herself that he is whole.</p>
<p>He sits up, allowing her to help more because he wants—<em>needs</em>—Rey to keep touching him than any need for support or assistance. His eyes widen at her medallion and his jaw ticks as something seems to click into place for him, some realization.</p>
<p>She can’t pluck it from the bond. Kylo is blocking her again, but his agitation slips through. He’s worried.</p>
<p>“So, it’s true then,” Kylo says, looking at Hux who simply nods, just once, and crosses his arms. They stare at one another, the animosity between them making it hard for Rey to even breathe.</p>
<p>Hux looks away first, staring at the front door before he takes a deep breath, sighs, and allows his posture to slump. Rey recognizes defeat and she is on her feet, three steps toward him and reaching out, before she even consciously realizes she is moving. She can feel a pulsing jealousy and the edge of some deep pain from Kylo, and she aches to go to Hux, but she is frozen between them.</p>
<p>“It’s okay, Princess. Go to him. You need to.”</p>
<p>She hadn’t felt Finn wake up, too distracted by Kylo blocking her and the pull to Hux, but he’s there behind her. Through their bond, he feels much the same as Kylo—jealous and hurt—but there is no physical sign of it. She also senses Finn’s absolute certainty that, no matter how much he hates it, this is the right thing, even if he doesn’t yet know why.</p>
<p>She can move again, and she does, not stopping until she’s pressed against Hux—her Armie (and only hers; she’s fairly certain he will slaughter anyone else who dares call him that), and ever so slowly his arms come around her. She feels fine tremors and she doesn’t know which of them is shaking, or if it’s both of them. All she knows is that he feels as much like <em>home</em> as her soulmates do. He doesn’t let go until well after they’ve both stopped crying.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>By the time Poe rouses, there have been three screaming matches between them all, and Rey is locked in her room, sitting on the cold, hardwood floor between the closet and her ruined bed.</p>
<p>She doesn’t even know what they are fighting over.</p>
<p>Well, she knows that they are fighting over <em>her,</em> but it feels like there is so much more to it. There is something unspoken but acknowledged between Finn and Kylo, but she doesn’t know what that <em>is</em> because they’ve blocked themselves off from her in the bond.</p>
<p>If they’re going to do that, what good is a soulbond anyway?</p>
<p>She projects the thought, a psychic scream that makes them wince. The effort to push and amplify the thought starts an ache in her own head but some petty part of her can’t help but think it’s worth it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kylo rejects the truth. <em>Again.</em></p>
<p>“She can’t be Blooded, or a Palpatine. She’s <em>not a Dragon.</em>”</p>
<p>“Oh, no, she’s <em>much</em> more than that,” Hux says, flatly before he sits up, leaned forward, icy eyes narrowed on Kylo. “Rey first Aspected at twelve. The traits she displayed then were all Wolf, her mother’s blood. At fifteen, vampire. When she was sixteen she started an accidental fire in her grandfather’s library.”</p>
<p>“Wait, wait, hold on a second!” Poe stood, pacing the room in agitation before facing Hux again. “You’re saying she Aspected three times? That’s impossible!”</p>
<p>“No, Dameron, I am telling you about the <em>first three times </em>Rey Aspected. I assure you, there have been more.”</p>
<p>Kylo snorts in derision, sure he is making it up.</p>
<p>Rey steps into the room. “Blood calls to Blood.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>“Blood calls to Blood my dear, Like to Like. Here, come closer.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Rey steps closer, drawn in by the book Grandfather has brought out of his study, placed on a stand in the library. She has only seen glimpses of it before, never been allowed close enough to make out even a letter or image on the illuminated pages.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>It’s a list of some sort, line after line, page after page, of names and dates and notes that make no sense to her.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>But it’s beautiful. Her hand comes up to touch a page, but she catches herself before she can make contact. “Grandfather, what is it?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Why, it’s us, my child, our family.” She glances at the page again, a longing look. “You may touch, if you like, Aurelia. You have learned to show the proper respect.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>There is no hint of deception in his smile. He’s never harmed her and she has no reason to distrust him.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Her fingers brush the page, tracing the empty space of the margin. She can’t quite make out all the words, and she realizes that at least some of it is in a language she doesn’t know.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Fascinated, she turns the page, eyes skimming over the list of names. Another page, and another, and then there is a full page illustration. Two dragons, one with a serpentine golden scaled body and great wings, the other black as pitch with four short legs and slightly smaller wings. They are entwined together, Wyrm and Drake.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Tell me child, do you know the legend of the Wyrm Princess and the Drake Prince?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> “No, Grandfather. Will you tell me? Please?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Of course, Aurelia. Come, sit by the fire with me, so I may warm my old bones.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She is eleven when he tells her the legend.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>His version, anyway.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The one he uses to justify every evil thing he has done or will do in his quest for power.</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Rey shakes her head, lost for a moment. She has forgotten what she meant to say, that she even spoke at all.</p>
<p>“What do you mean, Kitten?”</p>
<p>She looks at Poe. “What does what mean?”</p>
<p>“You said <em>Blood calls to Blood.”</em></p>
<p><em>“</em>Did I? I don’t recall.”</p>
<p>All four men stare at her in concern. She seems…<em>off</em>.</p>
<p>“Rey? You okay, Princess?”</p>
<p>Her gaze snaps to Finn. “How did you know?”</p>
<p>“Know what?”</p>
<p>“How did you know about me, Finn? You’ve always called me Princess? How did you know?” She is agitated, angry. For the first time since meeting her, Finn is frightened of Rey.</p>
<p>“I…I didn’t know. It was just a nickname. You’re my Princess, like you’re Poe’s Kitten.”</p>
<p>She shakes her head. “No. No, it’s more than that. You <em>knew</em> who I was, didn’t you?” She steps closer, and Finn slumps down, keeping his head lower than hers, chin slightly tilted to bare his throat. It’s an instinctive show of submission.</p>
<p>Kylo grabs her before she can take another step, his hold pinning her arms by her sides. He’s not sure what’s happening, but he genuinely fears for Finn’s safety. She goes still, completely frozen yet nearly vibrating with potential energy a coiled serpent readying to strike.</p>
<p>Hux curses, puts himself in front of Finn. “<em>FIGHT HIM REY! Please, Love, I just found you. Don’t let him take you again.”</em></p>
<p>Kylo can’t see her, can’t <em>sense</em> her, but there is a sickening darkness flooding the bond, a sense of of <em>Cold</em> like he’s never experienced. He tightens his hold, trying to ready himself for whatever Hux is doing to her (because it had to be him. This all started with him).</p>
<p>Hux takes another step and Kylo doesn’t fight the low, warning growl rumbling up from somewhere deep inside him. At the sound, or maybe the feel of it, Rey relaxes in his hold, slumping against him as she begins to tremble. She shifts, trying to turn in his arms and he lets her, doesn’t resist when she locks her own arms around his waist. She’s whispering something against his chest, but he can’t make out the words.</p>
<p>“I need to take her somewhere safe.”</p>
<p>“She’s safe here,” Poe argues with Hux.</p>
<p>Hux rounds on him with a haughty glare. “Have you been absent the past hour? She is decidedly <em>not safe</em> here. Did you not witness what just occurred? Not notice she was ready to attack the wolf?”</p>
<p>“How do we know you aren’t responsible for that?”</p>
<p>Hux stands straighter, brushing at non-existent lint on his blazer. “I suppose you don’t, but I had nothing to do with it. That was all her grandfather. Whatever he did to keep me from finding her, it also served to keep him from finding her once she escaped. I believe sealing your Bond broke the binding he used. She needs to be behind warded stone. I shall take her home.”</p>
<p>“Like hell you will! You aren’t taking Rey anywhere!”</p>
<p>“I assure you, I am. She is my mate, duly bonded, my betrothed, my wife in everything but legality and I intend to rectify that as soon as possible.”</p>
<p>Rey can only listen and wince as all three of her soulmates burst forth in angry curses.</p>
<p>“I can’t listen to your lies anymore. Get out of my house, Prince of Cats!” Poe’s eyes have gone all black.</p>
<p>Rey pulls free of Kylo’s arms. “STOP THIS! All of you! You need to listen to him. He’s telling the truth. And there’s more to it.”</p>
<p>“Oh yeah, like what?”</p>
<p><em>“Prophecy,” </em>Finn breathes, eyes gone distant.</p>
<p>“He’s prescient?” Hux asks, studying Finn with new interest.</p>
<p>Kylo sighs, rubs at his brow. “Yeah.” Poe and Rey stare at him, a mix of emotions pulsing along the bond. “I wasn’t sure until the last few days. It was in his assessment as potential. It’s why they assigned him as a door guard on my suite.”</p>
<p>“Well, this certainly changes things.”</p>
<p>“How?” Poe demands. “What are the two of you not sharing with the class?”</p>
<p>“Wyrm Princess,” Finn utters, gaze still distant.</p>
<p>“Hey, Finn, come on buddy,” Poe says softly, shaking his shoulders gently. “Sweetheart, I really need you to snap out of this and come back to me.” Nothing changes.</p>
<p>“Blood calls to Blood, Dameron. Finn’s more than just a wolf, just as I suspect <em>you</em> are more than a clan vampire. In fact, I would wager that everyone in this room is Fey Blooded, descended from at least one royal house.”</p>
<p>Poe freezes, going still in the way only the undead and reptiles seem to have perfected.</p>
<p>Hux continues, not paying any mind to the vampire’s glare, the coiled potential for violence. “Tell me, what do any of you know of the Prophecy of Consorts?”</p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>
  <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/53bKnJWdabBzeAuYHrbeXo?si=xr0jnUTGQ4C2do5gZ-A8XQ">Soulbond Playlist</a>
</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Prophesied</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Rey and her consorts relocate to a safer location, Armitage goes on a secret errand, Kylo tries to get some work done (despite his soulmates being <em>very</em> distracting), and Finn and Poe go through some changes.</p>
<p>
  <em>She doesn’t even realize she’s crying, or that anyone else is awake, until Kylo wraps one arm around her and reaches past her with the other, hand closing around the redhead’s arm. “You’re hurting her,” he says, voice gruff with sleep. Armitage stiffens but he doesn’t turn around, doesn’t speak, doesn’t even breathe. “Hux, just take off your shoes and get in the bed so we can all go back to sleep,” Kylo says.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I don’t think—”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Good, don’t think, just go to sleep, Prince of Cats,” Poe mumbles.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Prophecy of Consorts,” Finn murmurs, still half-asleep himself. “There are four.” </em>
</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So most of my WIPs have stalled and been put on hiatus because Heiress is eating my brain, but I have been working on this update off and on and decided to go ahead and get it out. </p>
<p>Tags were updated, and it's been quite a while since I posted the last chapter, so please review those so you don't read something you don't want to.</p>
<p>
  <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/53bKnJWdabBzeAuYHrbeXo?si=xr0jnUTGQ4C2do5gZ-A8XQ">Soulbond Playlist</a>
</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>“The Drake Prince was wicked,” Grandfather says. “A being of fire and darkness, he abused his position, stole away the Wyrm Princess, wrested her from her people. He claimed she was his right, Blood Price for a Life Debt owed, and used that to justify stealing her away from her consorts.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Rey sits at his feet, rapt. “More than one?” she asks in wonder.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Oh, yes, dear heart. The Wyrm Princess was destined for greatness, descended from all the most powerful houses. She was to be be bound to the Alpha Werewolf, the Prince of Cats, the Supreme Vampire, and the Dragon Emperor. Together, they would restore the power of the old lines, tear down the Veil between realities, and meld the worlds again, so that the greatest of the Fey Blooded would rightfully rule over all lesser races once more.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She blinks. That seems…wrong. She doesn’t question Grandfather, though, not now. He’s in a good mood today, despite the fanatical gleam in his eye. He has shown her his books, the ones formerly locked away, allowed her to touch the gilt-edged pages. He says after her birthday, he will begin teaching her to wield her powers, as is proper for the Blooded Heir of the Dragon Emperor.</em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>Rey stares around her curiously. In the end, her soulmates agreed to relocate, but they refused to allow Hux to decide where. They don’t trust him, and she supposes she can understand why, but she can’t help feeling a bit hurt, as if it means they don’t trust <em>her</em> either.</p>
<p>Armie has gone on some secretive errand, and she and two of her soulmates are currently on the uppermost floor of Supremacy Heights tower, inside Kylo’s personal quarters. They’d been trailed most of the way by a tall blonde woman and a slight (at least by comparison) man with dark hair and a furrowed brow. Kylo had all but ignored their questions, issuing only a clipped command of “Report.”</p>
<p>The woman, Captain Phasma, is apparently in charge of guard patrols and rotations, and the man, Lieutenant Mitaka, is some kind of supervisory officer dealing with a lot of paperwork…Rey thinks. She also has the impression that they are an oddly matched couple, and it makes her like them both more than their initial impressions allowed for.</p>
<p>She stares longingly at the balcony doors. Kylo has given them all strict orders to stay inside while he attends to whatever tasks have fallen by the wayside in his absence. She thinks it couldn’t possibly hurt, to just open the doors, allow some fresh air inside the bedroom, and she is halfway there before she realizes she has moved. She gasps and balls her hands into fists, squeezing until her fingernails begin to dig into the flesh of her palms.</p>
<p>“Rey?”</p>
<p>She doesn’t move, clasps her fists tighter, feels the skin break.</p>
<p>Poe comes to a stop behind her, gently grasping one of her wrists and lifting her arm, massaging her hand and forearm until she relaxes. “You’re hurting yourself, Kitten, I can smell the blood.” She slumps back against him, eyes fluttering closed as she sighs in relief. Her breath catches as he raises her hand and she feels the slow drag of his tongue over her palm. He repeats the action twice more, and she whimpers when he reaches for her left hand. Her knees buckle as his lips press to that hand, tongue darting out quickly this time.</p>
<p>He doesn’t let her fall. <em>Won’t. </em>None of them will, not ever. He has her on the bed, both of them half-stripped when Finn comes in, crawls across the expanse of mattress to join them.</p>
<p>She is lost in sensation, in the feeling of four hands and two mouths and whispers of breath over her skin, and she doesn’t even know which of them is touching her where, but she knows Kylo is distracted and annoyed and she can’t hold back a laugh at his grumbling across their bond.</p>
<p>She laughs again when Poe responds with the mental equivalent of a rude gesture. “He’s the one who left us up here with his gigantic bed and orders not to leave his rooms, not sure what he thought would happen,” Poe mutters against her neck.</p>
<p>That means the lips trailing her left knee belong to Finn.</p>
<p>She still doesn’t know whose hands are where because they keep moving, and she keeps her eyes closed, melting into Kylo’s mattress with a happy sigh. She senses him shifting uncomfortably in whatever chair he’s in, and she expends the effort to think at him that he could just come join them. She can almost see the pained look on his face, and then she’s distracted as Poe’s hands wander lower at the same time Finn’s lips travel up and just before she gives up on rational thought she feels Kylo coming their way.</p>
<p>He’s in the room in only moments, clothes stripped off and tossed carelessly to the floor before the door even swings into the wall from the force of his push. He’s on the bed by the time it bounces back, the latch catching with a loud click. He kisses Poe first, because Finn and Rey are busy and Poe is closer to the edge of the bed. Then it’s Finn’s turn, and Rey pouts up at them as all three of her soulmates look down at her with varying devious expressions. She shivers and reaches up with one hand, not even caring which of them meets her touch as long as someone touches her <em>right now</em> and they are all willing to oblige, falling on her ravenously, and now there are six hands and three mouths, and it’s glorious, until she feels the silken fabric loop over her wrists and suddenly she can’t move her arms.</p>
<p>Her eyes flutter open as she gasps and she glares as Finn finishes tying her wrists and Poe and Kylo each secure an ankle. She pulls against the bonds, because she can’t <em>not</em> at least try, and her breathing and heart rate increase, but it’s not fear.</p>
<p>They let her continue to struggle against the bonds for a moment, and she catches bits and pieces from them, of how she looks all tied down for them, what they plan to do, that they might punish her by ignoring her, leaving her out completely for a while, and a distressed whine escapes her lips, her anxiety flooding the bond at the idea that they could leave her here, tied and helpless.</p>
<p>That they don’t <em>need</em> her the way she needs them.</p>
<p>Kylo nearly collapses on her, Finn and Poe pressing close on either side.</p>
<p>“<em>Never</em>,” Poe swears, lips against her ear.</p>
<p>“<em>Ours</em>, Rey,” Finn insists, lips brushing her hair.</p>
<p>“<em>Always,</em>” Kylo says, pressing a kiss to her chest—over her heart.</p>
<p>There’s movement as they all shift around, and she feels Finn tugging at the fabric knotted around her wrists, where he tied them together above her head.</p>
<p>“No, don’t,” she says, “Leave them on. I don’t…it wasn’t the being tied that scared me. I just…I don’t want to be alone.” She closes her eyes, buries her face against Poe’s arm.</p>
<p>“Oh, Sweetheart, that’s not ever going to happen,” Kylo mutters against the skin of her stomach. “You’re stuck with us, forever.” He presses a kiss beside her navel, then lower and more to the side, moving across to her hip, sucking a bruise into her skin before he surveys his work before looking back up at her. “So you don’t forget,” he says, face serious, and then he moves again and she forgets how to think, how to worry.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It’s hours later when something stirs her, some sound drawing her back to consciousness and she has to struggle a moment, before she can wriggle out of the tangle of limbs enough to sit up and peer into the darkness.</p>
<p>Someone’s there, in the room with them.</p>
<p>“Only me, Love, go back to sleep. I’ll find somewhere else, I just needed to see you first.”</p>
<p>Armitage sounds weary, defeated. Rey squirms again, crawling over Poe and Kylo to the edge of the bed closest to her…fiancé...her Mate...her fourth Consort.</p>
<p>“Don’t be sad,” she whispers, reaching out with one hand, letting her fingers trail down the side of his face. He closes his eyes, leaning into her touch and kissing her palm. There is movement behind her, as her soulmates resettle, filling in the gap she left between Poe and Finn.</p>
<p>Armitage looks at her, just stares for the longest time, and she isn’t sure if it’s his heart or hers that feels like it’s breaking when he steps back, intent on leaving the room as he said he would.</p>
<p>She doesn’t even realize she’s crying, or that anyone else is awake, until Kylo wraps one arm around her and reaches past her with the other, hand closing around the redhead’s arm. “You’re hurting her,” he says, voice gruff with sleep. Armitage stiffens but he doesn’t turn around, doesn’t speak, doesn’t even breathe. “Hux, just take off your shoes and get in the fucking bed so we can all go back to sleep,” Kylo says.</p>
<p>“I don’t think—”</p>
<p>“Good, don’t think, just go to sleep, Prince of Cats,” Poe mumbles.</p>
<p>“Prophecy of Consorts,” Finn murmurs, still half-asleep himself. “There are four.”</p>
<p>Hux gives in with a sigh, kicking off his shoes and pulling his belt through the loops with practiced ease before climbing under the sheet and blankets beside Rey. He hovers there, just on the edge of the mattress, but Rey isn’t having it. She huffs and pulls at his sleeve until he turns onto his back, and she presses in against him, head on his chest. “Overdressed,” she complains, just before sleep takes her again, and he almost laughs.</p>
<p>He doesn’t think he’ll sleep, but it’s almost scary how quickly the soft, purring breaths Rey puffs out onto his chest soothe him to that edge of dreaming. He barely even jerks when a hand flops across him, as Kylo turns in his sleep and reaches out for Rey, arm continuing over Hux because she’s still using him as a pillow.</p>
<p>For the first time in seventeen years, the Prince of Cats sleeps through the pre-dawn hours, and if he dreams, he doesn’t remember.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>“The Prophecy of Consorts, Prince of Cats,” Emperor Palpatine says. Hux can’t stop the brief flash of distaste that crosses his face at the abhorrent idea. Surely the man isn’t suggesting…not with his own granddaughter.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“It can be symbolic,” the Dragon Emperor says. “The binding of the powers is the crux of it, restoring the magic to a single bloodline—mine, of course.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The man is insane, and too powerful to stand against.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“You’ll be the one to actually wed her,” he continues, and Hux feels only minimal relief as the other man adds, “We have no interest in the…mechanics…of a bonding beyond securing the magic. It never should have been split, never spread among the bloodlines. Blood calls to Blood, Prince of Cats.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>Rey is the first to wake, and she doesn’t hold back her happy sigh. At some point she’d turned in her sleep, and Armitage is curled around her, one arm around her waist and holding her against him, even as her legs are tangled with Kylo’s, one of her hands in his hair and the other thrown across him, reaching for Poe and Finn. Poe is on Kylo’s other side, face buried in the Supreme Leader’s side. Kylo’s fingers are threaded through Poe’s hair, mirroring Rey’s hand in his own. Finn is on the other side of Poe, arm stretched out to thread his fingers through Rey’s. She shifts a little, sinking back into the warm nest of blankets and bodies, still touching all of them as much as possible.</p>
<p>Her mate, her three soulmates.</p>
<p>Her <em>Consorts.</em></p>
<p>The word echoes in her mind, resonates along both the mate-bond and the soulbond.</p>
<p>It’s not quite so terrifying, while she’s safely tucked between them. They may be asleep but she knows that at the slightest disturbance, the vaguest threat, they would all spring to action, throw themselves between Rey and danger.</p>
<p>That’s the thought that does frighten her, the idea that she could lose one—or more—of them, because they would sacrifice their safety for hers without hesitation.</p>
<p>Not that she wouldn’t do the same.</p>
<p>“You think too loud,” Finn grumbles from the far side of the bed, fingers flexing against hers before his hand slips away and he sits up. Kylo and Poe grumble at the loss of his touch but they don’t wake. Finn rubs one hand over his face and looks across their soulmates to where Armitage is still sleeping on Rey’s other side. She can’t quite decipher his solemn expression, and he’s being very careful to keep his thoughts and feelings to himself. He tilts his head to one side, opens his mouth to speak, but <em>something</em> happens before he can, some sort of rippling, invisible wave crests over him and he gasps.</p>
<p>It’s the only warning before he starts convulsing, body jerking, and Rey cries out as he falls from the bed.</p>
<p>The room erupts in chaos as her remaining consorts snap awake at her scream. She scrambles from the bed, calling Finn’s name as she desperately tries to reach him, but arms lock around her, dragging her back.</p>
<p>“No! Kylo, let me goooo! Finn!” She kicks and squirms but Kylo holds her with both arms. Poe is on the floor too, kneeling beside the bed, but he’s keeping his distance, eyes wide in surprise but his initial fear has receded.</p>
<p>That fact calms her enough that Kylo’s voice can break through. “Rey! Rey! It’s fine, he’s okay. He’s Aspecting.”</p>
<p>Poe lets out a surprised laugh and stands up, leaning against the wall and watching whatever is happening to Finn there in the floor beside the bed.</p>
<p>There’s a low whine and a wolf’s head pops up from beside the bed, tongue lolling out as it pants. It’s Finn, she knows logically it’s Finn, but she’s seen his wolf form before, and this isn’t it. Too big, he’s too big—easily double the size of his usual shape, and the fur and eyes are <em>wrong</em>. Then there’s a yelp and a whine and he changes again, smaller and reddish this time, then larger and silvery white, and again into something that looks more like a bear. It doesn’t end, each new form less canine, until there’s nothing wolf-like at all, over and over, with barely a moment to even try to breathe before he shifts one final time. Rey can’t help but laugh when Kylo curses behind her as, finally, a sparrowhawk perches on the edge of the bed and stares at them all. Then it’s like she blinks and suddenly Finn is <em>Finn</em> again, and he practically collapses, half falling off the bed.</p>
<p>“Well, then, I suppose it’s fortunate I retrieved these last night,” Armitage says from the bedroom doorway. He has a wooden box in his hand, old and familiar.</p>
<p>“Where…how did you get that?”</p>
<p>He looks at her and shakes his head for a moment, as if disappointed she would even ask, before he smiles and flips the box open. “The same way I got yours, and the one around Ren’s neck,” he says, crossing the room and holding the box out to Poe and Finn. “I stole them.”</p>
<p>Poe’s hand trembles as he reaches out, tracing the final two medallions nestled in the velvet lining. Rey hisses out a breath as something like an electric shock shoots through the soulbond, just before Poe’s knees buckle and it’s his turn to fall to the floor as the power rolls through him, bowling him over and carrying him along in its current.</p>
<p>“Prophesied,” Finn whispers, eyes going distant again as Armitage drops the wolf’s head medallion around his neck. Finn shakes his head and sucks in a breath as the metal settles against his skin, and she can feel his surprise at how warm it is.</p>
<p>“Blood calls to Blood,” she whispers, and this time she remembers when she says it.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I didn't have any intention of bringing Hux into the physical relationship between Kylo/Rey/Poe/Finn and I still don't PLAN to but that could change. If it does I WILL update tags. However please remember he IS in love with Rey and she with him, despite her memory loss and a 17 year separation. Her soulmates can read her thoughts and emotions, and they don't like anything that hurts her. Bed sharing and incidental touching due to proximity will probably continue to happen. </p>
<p>As of this point, Rey has 4 consorts/mates, Finn has 3, Poe has 3, Kylo has 3, and Hux has 1.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Aspected</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Poe has a little trouble with his newest power, Rey and Armitage reconnect, and then things take a turn.</p>
<p>
  <em>The door swings behind them, not quite closing, and she actually hops a bit to get onto the high bed, dragging him along, and then it’s all fevered kisses and desperate words and tears, so many tears, then something breaks loose inside her and she’s home.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She cries out, reaching out desperately for something, and a hand meets hers, palm sliding over her skin, fingers entwining with hers, and she gasps, shocked to turn her head and find Kylo beside her—beside them—in the smaller bed.</em>
</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Tags updated again, as with several previous chapters.</p>
<p>So, how many subscribers will I lose this time?</p>
<p>Seriously, this is not me being snarky or whining, if the summary, tags, and copious notes have not warned you that this is a poly group dynamic, I don't know how else to make that clear and need you to tell me. Please, if you are not okay with reading this, use the back button or close the tab. I don't want to upset anyone, and EVERY update of this specific story loses me both story subs and user subs. It's okay if you don't like it. I have a lot of other stories, and there are TONS of other writers out there better than me. Please, y'all, review the tags and make sure this is something you actually want to read. </p>
<p>Take care of yourselves.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Poe is…well, for lack of a better word, <em>stuck.</em></p>
<p>Some fey-blooded vampires aspect to a new power level with a sudden shape shifting ability, and Poe seems to fall into that category, but he’s having trouble going <em>back.</em></p>
<p>He’s made it most of the way, but his ears are just a hair larger than normal, and he has a pair of large, velvety bat wings sprouting from his shoulder blades.</p>
<p>He looks, Rey muses, a bit like an adorably frustrated gargoyle.</p>
<p>She doesn’t try to keep the thought to herself, doesn’t think to, and he shoots her a look of distaste while Finn laughs and Kylo pretends not to.</p>
<p>The shapeshifters—Hux included—are trying to help him complete the change, retract the wings, but it isn’t working.</p>
<p>She can feel his frustration increasing, it’s bleeding off of all four of her consorts, but Poe’s is quickly giving way to despair and it <em>hurts.</em></p>
<p>She slips from the bed and crosses to where they are huddled by the balcony doors, gently pushing and prodding at her consorts until she can get to Poe. “Open,” she says, and at first he just stares, confused, but she gestures and pictures what she wants and he unfurls the wings from where he’s wrapped them around himself like a cloak. She smiles and steps in, grabbing his arms to wrap around her as she rests her chin on his shoulder and breathes in.</p>
<p>“You’re still you,” she says. “These are still your arms around me, and even if you never manage to shift all the way back, the only thing that changes is that there’s more of you to touch…and maybe that we won’t need quite so many blankets.” She turns her face into his neck, nuzzling the slowly thudding pulse point there, and gently strokes one fingertip along the inside of one wing. He shudders and sighs and drops the wings back around them both, so that he’s hugging her with two sets of limbs.</p>
<p>“Let me in,” Kylo demands, and Finn echoes him. Poe laughs and nods and the wings spread again, spanning a good portion of the room.</p>
<p>He can’t quite wrap them back around all three of them, but he does his best as they huddle together and murmur soothing nonsense.</p>
<p>Rey feels a chill and looks up, blinking and confused, to find that the extra warmth of the wings is just…gone.</p>
<p>“Well done,” Armitage says from somewhere behind her—behind them—and she realizes that the wings are missing now, because Poe finished the shift. “Now,” her betrothed continues, “Can you do it again?”</p>
<p>Rey feels a flare of irritation along the soulbond, but she doesn’t even know which of her soulmates is the source. Poe seems to really be thinking about it, though, and he gently pushes the three of them back and rolls his neck a bit before closing his eyes, hands curled into fists.</p>
<p>It’s almost seamless, instant, the frisson of magic sending shivers up her spine, and where he stood a fairly large bat hovers for a moment before the air around it sort of blurs and Poe is back—sans wings.</p>
<p>Rey thinks it, and she believes Kylo considers it too, but it’s Finn who says the words. “Can you do just the wings? Intentionally?”</p>
<p>Poe gives him a sour look, but at the pulse of lust along the bond from three different directions he shakes his head ruefully and sort of flexes his back.</p>
<p>It works, and they descend on him at once, while Armitage mutters about freshly bonded groups and leaves the room. Rey feels a pang of loss at his absence, but she’s too caught up in the tangle of her soulmates to chase after him.</p>
<p>It’s Finn who puts a stop to things, sends her after Armitage. “You need to go to him, Rey. He’s your fourth consort, you need him…and right now he needs you.”</p>
<p>She can’t argue, doesn’t even want to, but she does hesitate until Poe and Kylo grudgingly voice their agreement and release her from where they’ve been holding her between them. Poe turns to reach for Finn, but Kylo lingers, one arm still around her as he stares down at her for a moment. He kisses her forehead and gives her a nod and a light push of encouragement.</p>
<p>There’s still something they aren’t telling her, but she knows this time it’s because they can’t find the words to properly express it.</p>
<p>Because she feels it too. It’s not rational, in fact it’s little more than unconscious instinct. Something is still <em>waiting,</em> stretched taut around and between them all, and she knows Armitage is the missing piece, the key that will fully unlock whatever has been building since the night she fed on Kylo by the docks.</p>
<p>“Rey?” Kylo calls as she reaches the door, and she freezes in place, but she doesn’t turn around. “Across the sitting room, second door on the right.”</p>
<p>She nods and leaves the room, closing the bedroom door gently behind her.</p>
<p>Armitage seems surprised when she nearly runs to him, wordlessly grabbing both his hands and dragging him with her to the door Kylo indicated.</p>
<p>To the guest room.</p>
<p>He tries to question her, asks if she’s sure, if she knows what she’s doing, but between seventeen years without his touch, only just recovering the memory of every touch before that, and the faint echoes of what’s happening in the master bedroom while her soulmates are too caught up in one another to fully block her, she is <em>desperate</em> for him, her final missing piece.</p>
<p>The door swings behind them, not quite closing, and she actually hops a bit to get onto the high bed, dragging him along, and then it’s all fevered kisses and desperate words and tears, so many tears, then something breaks loose inside her and she’s <em>home.</em></p>
<p>She cries out, reaching out desperately for <em>something</em>, and a hand meets hers, palm sliding over her skin, fingers entwining with hers, and she gasps, shocked to turn her head and find Kylo beside her—beside <em>them</em>—in the smaller bed.</p>
<p>No, she’s back in his…</p>
<p>Wait, that isn’t right either. It’s like the two rooms have merged.</p>
<p><em>Melded </em>something whispers in her mind, and then it’s over and she is alone with Armitage again, but there’s something different about the room itself. She can’t quite identify what that something is though, and then she’s gasping, crying out her pleasure and the strange moment is temporarily forgotten.</p>
<p>It’s only after, as Armitage holds her close, nuzzles her hair and neck as he purrs (something she will absolutely tease him about later) that she realizes the room really has changed. The formerly off-white painted walls are now partially stone, deep grey but with swirls of white quartz and the glint of mica here and there, and what she thinks might be a gold vein running down the side of the door.</p>
<p>It’s not even, it’s almost as if three or four different rooms have been swirled together. She slips from the bed almost in a trance and pads across the floor—distantly realizing that the plush carpeting has given way to stone flooring covered with old rough rugs and animal skins. Near the fireplace (wait, there wasn’t a fireplace in the room before) there are no rugs, just a sudden dip to a slightly lower stone floor covered in sweet rushes.</p>
<p>Half the room has become something out of a Medieval castle, but it’s not an even division.</p>
<p>Over the fireplace there’s a Jackson Pollock.</p>
<p>The wood closet door is still the same, but the knob has been replaced by a wooden handle.</p>
<p>She hadn’t even noticed she was still moving as she took in the little changes around her, but suddenly she is only feet away from the door that she hopes still leads to the sitting room in Kylo’s quarters, inside Supremacy Tower.</p>
<p>There is movement, and something soft falls over her shoulders, before a hand holds her back, stops her from opening the door. It’s for the best, as just as Armitage is helping her get her arms into the sleeves of his shirt, the door flies open and doesn’t stop until it hits the wall, her barely dressed soulmates huddled there and staring. Kylo is holding the doorframe, straining against something, and she realizes she can’t <em>feel</em> them, none of them. Even straining her senses, stretching her power along the bonds, she can sense her Prince of Cats, but not the others.</p>
<p>“Let them in, Rey.”</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>“I think…you have to let them in.”</p>
<p>She’s still staring at Kylo, at Finn and Poe behind him, their mouths moving, but she can’t <em>hear</em> them, either. She answers Armitage the only way she can. “I don’t know how.”</p>
<p>“You will,” he says, hugging her from behind. “It’s there, Rey, somewhere inside you. You just have to find it.” He urges her forward, to the doorway, and she can feel it then, some sort of invisible wall, radiating outward and blocking her soulmates from the room. She doesn’t want that.</p>
<p>As soon as the thought fully forms, there is a nearly audible pop of pressure releasing, and Kylo nearly launches forward, falling into her and knocking both Rey and Armitage to the floor, Poe and Finn following him down, but Kylo takes the brunt of the impact, mostly absorbing their fall. Still, it isn’t exactly comfortable and she does actually need to breathe.</p>
<p>There is a shifting, sliding scramble of movement and they slide to the floor, Kylo and Poe to one side, Finn to the other. She’s still mostly on top of Armitage and she rolls the direction she is already sliding, settling to the floor beside Kylo, settled between her Drake Prince and her Prince of Cats.</p>
<p>Kylo freezes in the middle of reaching for her.</p>
<p>“What did you call me?”</p>
<p>There is fear, and it isn’t all hers, and she doesn’t even know where the thought came from, really, but she wants to send it <em>back </em>there. “I…nothing…I didn’t say anything.”</p>
<p>“You didn’t have to, Love, you know that,” Armitage murmurs, running a soothing hand down her arm.</p>
<p>“Prophecy of Consorts,” Finn says from somewhere on the other side of Armitage. “The Drake Prince can’t be the Dragon Emperor until he’s crowned.”</p>
<p>“It’s not…I can’t…I’ve never…”</p>
<p>She knows with certainty that Kylo has never been this much at a loss for words.</p>
<p>“It’s in there,” Poe says softly, mirroring Hux’s actions and running a soothing hand along Kylo’s arm, to his hand, and threading their fingers together. “You will.”</p>
<p>“I don’t want that,” he insists, shaking his head, and Rey can’t help but touch him, wanting to hold him and soothe the fear.</p>
<p>“Neither do I,” she says softly, “But I can feel it, feel <em>her,</em> and she wants out.”</p>
<p>“Wyrm Princess,” Finn says, giving voice to the words—the title—and Rey swears she hears the tinkling of shattered glass, smells smoke and the lick of flames, feels wind in her face as she races through the air, and then there is only darkness and screaming.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>They rain fire and destruction on the mortals who betrayed them, heedless of the cries for mercy.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>They are the end of their kind, the last dragons, hunted to extinction by the tiny monsters on the ground. The last egg of their clutch was shattered, smashed for the gems that comprised the shell, that held safe their only remaining offspring.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>There will not be another.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>And so their pain and their rage will rain down on the monsters who have stolen and destroyed their only reason for survival.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>As the last of the humans is reduced to ash and bone, she touches down, hollow and empty, as the black scales disappear into her skin, leaving only a smattering of freckles to suggest they were ever there.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I would have given it to you,” she says, voice pained and husky. “The nest, the shells…I only wanted my babies safe.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She feels him land beside her, sees the glint of his golden scales before they, too, disappear. She leans into his touch when he holds her, looks over the destruction they have wrought.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>They missed one.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>A single mortal—a human girl, no more than two or three years, clinging tightly to a lovingly fashioned doll with a serpentine body and drapey linen wings, as she cries out for her mother. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>A wyrm doll, made for her by the same loving mother the child will never find again.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>It is only then that the Wyrm Princess cries.</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Rey gasps awake, struggles against the weight holding her down. The nightmare or vision or whatever it was is still holding her tightly, not letting her go as the screams of mostly innocent mortals ring in her ears. She feels sick, and she leans with a groan, but it just burns in her throat.</p>
<p>Arms reach out, hands stroke over her skin, and she shivers at the chill touch. There is movement beside her, and a roar of “No!” as Kylo sits up beside her.</p>
<p>“It wasn’t us, wasn’t me, we didn’t,” he babbles, reaching out and pulling her close, clinging desperately to her. “Wasn’t, wouldn’t, never,” he continues, lips brushing over her skin as he buries his face in her neck, and she can feel him trembling. She reaches out, stroking a hand over whatever bit of him she can reach, and he leans into her touch.</p>
<p>His skin feels <em>wrong</em>.</p>
<p>She looks down, gasps at the webbed network of what looks like transparent scales on his arm. She jerks, turns to face him, and his eyes are different, more golden than brown, and there is no white left, just that flaming gaze and slitted pupils.</p>
<p>“Your eyes,” he says, and then the power rolls over them.</p>
<p>It might be hours, days even, or only moments, as they burn and shake and partially shift. Scales run over their skin then just disappear, colors and light change as their eyes shift back and forth, to and from dragon eyes. At one point Kylo has wings, not quite like Poe’s, but not exactly drake either. They stretch between his arms and body, and some distant part of Rey notes that Kylo’s dragon wings are more batlike and Poe’s bat wings are what she would expect from a dragon.</p>
<p>Then she stops noticing anything as the scales come back, this time hard and solid, and her body is covered in natural armor.</p>
<p>The same seems to be happening to Kylo, and she can’t help thinking he’s beautiful.</p>
<p>Then it just…ends, and both are left panting for breath as their limbs tremble.</p>
<p>She asks the first question to occur to her, and it sends Finn into peals of laughter as Kylo grumbles and…blushes?</p>
<p>“Why does it smell like lilacs?”</p>
<p>“Oh, that would be my son,” a new voice says from across the room. “Blame the fertility goddesses in his lineage.”</p>
<p>Rey just manages to turn her head and yes, there she is, General Leia Organa, studying them both from a careful distance.</p>
<p>“You aren’t finished, yet,” Leia says, and it’s true, there is one more wave of power—magic—building, and as it crests over them, Rey is too tired to even notice whether it hurts.</p>
<p>She fights to move, to turn back, needing to at least <em>see</em> Kylo.</p>
<p>She loses time, she thinks, but in the end, they have managed it, a complete shift. Either they have been moved or the room has grown to accommodate them (and she strongly suspects it is either the latter or a combination of both—that maybe the magic rolling over them has both created a larger room and moved them to it).</p>
<p>Two dragons, each showing traits of both wyrm and drake. She stares at Kylo, entranced and wondrous at the iridescent black scales glinting green and purple as he moves in the low light, leans forward to touch him somehow. His long neck stretches and she moves to meet him, careful of her horns and touching brow to brow with a happy sigh that sends smoke curling from his nostrils.</p>
<p>“Golden,” he growls softly, and then they sleep.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>
  <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/53bKnJWdabBzeAuYHrbeXo?si=xr0jnUTGQ4C2do5gZ-A8XQ">Soulbond Playlist</a>
</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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